(9) ARCHERY GLOSSARY (DICTIONARY OF TERMS USED IN ARCHERY)
A Glossary, or Explanation of Terms, &c., made use of in Archery
A
ALLOW, ALLOWANCE. - An archer is said to allow, or make allowance for the wind, when he shoots somewhat wide of the mark, and on that side of the mark nearest the wind, in order that the wind may bring his arrow into the line of the mark.
ARROW, BEARING. - An arrow which possesses a steady flight.
ARROW, BOB-TAILED. - An arrow increasing in bulk, in a regular proportion, from the nock to the pile.
ASCHAM. - A sort of cupboard, or case, to contain bows, and sometimes arrows, and other implements of archery.
B
BACK OF A BOW. - The exterior, ore flat side.
BELLY OF A BOW. - The interior, or rounded side of a bow.
BOW-ARM. - The arm employed in holding the bow.
BOW, SELF. - A bow made of one entire piece of wood.
BOW-SHOT. - The distance which an arrow flies from the bow.
BOWYER. - A maker of bows.
BUTT. - A mound of earth, upon which a mark to soot at is placed.
C
CAST , TO. - To become warped.
CAST, THE. - The right of shooting the first, by winning at the last shot, which is called getting the cast.
CHRYSAL, OR CRYSTAL. - A kind of pinch or crack in a bow.
CLOUT. - A small white target, placed near the ground.
CLOUT-SHOOTING. - Shooting at clouts.
COCK F EATHER. - That feather on the arrow which is uppermost and of the darkest colour.
COMPASS, TO KEEP. - To observe a due elevation.
CUT THE MARK, TO. - An arrow is said to cut the mark, when it flies straight towards it, but falls under it.
D
DRAWING THROUGH THE BOW. - This signifies drawing so far that the point of the arrow comes within the belly of the bow.
E
ELEVATION. - The act of raising the bow in shooting at the mark.
END. - The place where a mark is fixed.
EYE OF THE STRING. - That part of it which occupies the upper horn of the bow.
F
FAST. - A word used to caution persons from passing between the shooter and the mark, and to direct them to stand still.
FLETCHER. - An arrow-maker.
FLIGHT. - The distance or path in which an arrow flies.
FOLLOW THE STRING. - A bow is said to follow the string, when, by its use, it has lost its original straightness, and has obtained a curve or inclination forward.
G
GONE. - An arrow is said to be gone, when it may from its flight be judged to fall wide of, or far from, the mark.
GRAFTED BOW. - One made of two pieces of wood joined at the handle.
H
HEHE! - This exclamation is said to have been an archer's word of call, handed down from very ancient days.
HIT. - A stroke in the target or mark.
HOME. - An arrow is said to be drawn home when it is drawn as far as it ought to be.
HORNS OF THE BOW. - The ends of the bow, which are tipped with horn.
I
INCHES. - A distance allowed round the butt-mark, within which an arrow must fall to count.
K
KEEPING A LENGTH. - Shooting the exact distance, although not straight.
L
LENGTH. - The distance to be shot.
LIMBS. - The part of the bow above and below the handle.
M
MARK. - Any object shot at.
N
NOCK. - An ancient word still used by archers for notch; nocks, therefore, are the notches in the horns of bows and arrows.
NOCKING POINT. - That part of the string on which the arrow is placed.
NOOSE. - The end of the string which occupies the lower horn.
O
OVER-BOWED. - An archers is said to be over-bowed when the power of his bow is above his command.
OVER-HAND. - Shooting over-hand is to shoot at the mark over the bow-hand.
P
PAIR OF ARROWS. - In archery three arrows are termed a pair, on account of the liability of one to break.
PETTICOAT, OR SPOON. - The ground of the target, beyond the white.
PILE. - The head of an arrow, usually made of steel or iron.
POPINJAY. - A wooden bird, used as mark, particularly in Scotland.
Q
QUIVER. - A case which arrows are kept or deposited, generally made of tin.
R
ROVING. - Shooters at rovers, which are casual marks, of uncertain distance.
S
SELF-BOW. - One made of a single piece of wood, or grafted.
SHAFT. - An arrow, so called when it wants only the head.
SHAFTMENT. - That part of the arrow occupied by the feathers.
SHOOT, A. - An arrow shot.
SINKING A BOW. - Reducing its force or stiffness.
SNAKE. - An arrow is said to snake when it works itself under the grass.
STANDING-BOW. - A bow that stands well without sinking.
STELF - An arrow without feather or head.
T
TAB. - A piece of flat leather, used instead of the fingers of the shooting glove.
TARGET. - A mark to shoot at, consisting of divers coloured circles.
TARGET CARD. - A card coloured in the same manner as the target containing the names of the shooters, and used for scoring the respective hits.
U
UNDER-BOWED. - Using a bow that is too weak to shoot well with.
W
WEIGHT OF A BOW. - The weight or power which a bow requires to draw it properly up.
WHIPPING. THE - The material used to enwrap the nocking point.
WIDE ARROW. - One that falls wide of the mark.
WIND, DOWN. - When the wind blows directly from the shooter down to the mark.
WIND, SIDE. - When it blows directly across the line of mark.
WIND, UP. - When it blows directly from the mark to the shooter.
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Archery - Table of Contents
This article was written by James Sharpe, formerly editor of the Archer's Register.