Word of the Day
Aglet (AG-lit)
· Common clues: Shoelace part; Shoelace tip
· Crossword puzzle frequency: 2 times a year
An aglet or aiglet is the little plastic or metal cladding on the end of shoelaces that keeps the twine from unraveling.
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sneaker with the aglets highlighted.
The word comes from the latin word acus which means needle. In times past, aglets were usually made of metal though some were glass or stone. Many were highly ornamental, and made of precious metals such as silver. Before the invention of buttons, they were used on the ends of ribbons to fasten clothing together. Sometimes they would be formed into small figures. Shakespeare calls this type of figure an "aglet baby" in The Taming of the Shrew. Purely decorative metal ornaments called aigullette are sometimes features of modern military dress uniforms.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aglet".
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