The older generation still remembers those distant times when no one heard of Velcro, and shoes were not fastened, but tied with laces. If, for example, you were a fan of playing hockey in the winter, and football in the summer, then sooner or later the usual trouble happened - the tips broke off at the shoelaces. And from that moment on, putting on shoes was a real test of patience. Sleight of hand was required to sharpen the string and thread it through the hole. And about what an aglet, few people knew then. And now too.
History of occurrence
The word "aglet" appeared in the Russian language not too long ago by historical standards - about 200 years ago. He has two homelands: England, where the concept of aglet exists, and France, where they also knew what an aglet (or aiglet) was.
Before Peter I in Russia, the traditional women's clothing was a sundress, and shoes were devoid of any laces. Russian ladies were sitting at home and notwhat assemblies were not thought of.
And about how to put their "charms" on display - and even more so. And how you can lace up a young lady, they didn’t know about it in Russia. But when foreign fashion was introduced by the emperor, the need arose for such an accessory as lacing on dresses. At first, this did not affect shoes. But after Peter I came up with the prototype of the modern skate design, the laces were needed there too.
And now imagine how much work it cost the young lady to dress or undress. Of course, someone very smart invented a device that facilitates this tedious and painstaking process. It was not invented in Russia, but came from where all these small details of the ladies' toilet were in everyday use. Most likely it was France.
Noun
The word "aglet" is a noun, inanimate, masculine, 2nd declension.
Eg-let is divided into two syllables with stress on the second.
At morphological analysis, the word is in the singular of the nominative case the root "aglet" with a zero ending. Pronounced the same as spelled.
Defining "aglet"
It can be found in dictionaries. What is an aglet? The answer mentions mostly shoes. The dictionary states that it is a device for a lace (shoe, etc.), made of a hard material, which wraps around the end of the ribbon in such a way as to provide repeateduse of this device. That is, we are talking about a hard fix.
There is a Russian analogue of aglet. This word is "pistonchik" or "knob". The dictionary explains that this metal or plastic tip makes it easier to lace boots or other footwear by preventing the laces from spreading.
Yesterday and today
For our ancestors, this little accessory was quite an essential part of the wardrobe. Only this can explain the found caps made of precious metals. Demonstrating miracles of ingenuity, the craftsmen decorated the end of the cord with silver figurines. However, after some time, buttons were invented, and all the attention of fashion designers of that time was already focused on them.
However, they also remembered what an aglet was, since no one canceled the laces on clothes or shoes. Open the play "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare. There you will find the expression aglet baby, which meant "little tip" or literally "tip-baby".
What are they not made of today. The scope for imagination rolls over: plastic of different colors and textures, adhesive tape, wax and wood resin, glue, yarn fixed in a special way. The easiest option is to melt the end of the cord if it is made of synthetic material.
In especially glamorous cases, you can see the caps made of stones (semi-precious) or multi-colored glass. The most traditional and reliable, despite the abundance of opportunities, ismetal clip.
However, plastic is a strong competitor to him, which can be seen in different photos. We remembered what an aglet is and now we can easily find our way if someone tells us: "Your aglet is lost."
