Coal scuttle
Acoal scuttle,sometimes spelledcoalscuttleand also called ahod,"coal bucket", or "coal pail", is abucket-likecontainerfor holding a small, intermediate supply ofcoalconvenient to an indoor coal-fired stove or heater.
Description
[edit]
Coal scuttles are usually made of metal and shaped as a verticalcylinderortruncatedcone,with the open top slanted for pouring coal on a fire. It may have one or two handles.[1]Homes that do not use coal sometimes use a coal scuttle decoratively.[2]
Origin
[edit]The wordscuttlecomes, via Middle English and Old English, from the Latin wordscutulla,meaning "serving platter".[3]An alternative name,hod,derives from the Old Frenchhotte,meaning"'basket to carry on the back', apparently from Frankish *hotta or some other Germanic source (compare Middle High German hotze 'cradle') ", and is also used in reference to boxes used to carry bricks or other construction materials.[4]
Infamous use
[edit]In 1917, the Swedish serial killerHilda Nilssonused a coal scuttle, a large bucket, and awashboardto drown children that she had been hired to care for.[5]
The infamous GermanStahlhelm,or Steel Helmet, is sometimes referred to in English-language publications as the "Coal Scuttle" helmet, due to its shape resembling that of a coal scuttle.
References
[edit]- ^Runyan, W. R."1001 Words and Phrases You Never Knew You Didn't Know".thefreedictionary.com.Retrieved5 December2015.
- ^"Decorative Cast Iron Coal Scuttle and Shovel".EVERYTHING BUT THE HOUSE (ebth.com).Retrieved5 December2015.
- ^"scuttle (n.)".Online Etymology Dictionary.Retrieved30 June2022.
- ^"hod (n.)".Online Etymology Dictionary.Retrieved30 June2022.
- ^"Änglamakerskan i Helsingborg dränkte åtta fosterbarn".Hemmets Journal.Archived fromthe originalon 8 December 2015.Retrieved5 December2015.