16 October 2021

Do you know the English word for this?

Growing up in India, we used to get our shoes repaired every time they sprung a hole or a nail got dislodged. I have not visited a cobbler ever since I came to this country. I suspect, it is cheaper to replace a pair of shoes than repair it these days. At least the kind of shoes I wear.

But in those days, a cobbler used to come by our neighborhood every Saturday and anybody who needed shoes repaired, got them done by him. As a small kid filled with curiosity, it was a marvel to watch the cobbler stitch the thread using a needle with a sidecut that would be used as a hook to loop the thread in and pull thru.

And he always carried a heavy anvil like the one in the picture. Do you remember this?

Did you know that there is an English word for this? I always thought of it as an anvil but as it turns out, there is an exact word to refer to this cobbler’s instrument.

What is it?



Posted October 16, 2021 by Rajib Roy in category "Word Play

5 COMMENTS :

  1. By Shri on

    Is it a last by any chance? as in a cobbler should always stick to his last.

    Reply
  2. By Rajib Roy (Post author) on

    Shri, that is exactly what it is called. Incidentally, I was not aware of the saying – but it makes sense…

    Reply
  3. Pingback: What is the English word for this tool? – Rajib Roy

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