Today's word: handfast (adj.) manacled; shackled.

The use of the term handfast in relation to marriage dates back to at least the 11th century. Even then, it appears it was viewed as a form of confinement ;-) In more recent times, the term has been used to describe a commitment ceremony often celebrated as a neo-pagan ritual.

My much-treasured Christmas present for 2017 is a book by Paul Anthony Jones: "The cabinet of linguistic curiosities". Each page contains a descriptive story about some obscure or archaic word. It occurred to me it would be a fun exercise to try and write, each day, a poem featuring the "word of the day" from the book.

Thanks for reading.

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