Armband
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(May 2008) |
Anarmbandis a piece of material worn around the arm. They may be worn for pure ornamentation, or to mark the wearer as belonging to group, or as insignia having a certain rank, status,officeorrole,or being in a particular state or condition. Sprung armbands, known assleeve garters,have been used by men to keep overlong sleeves from dropping over the hands and thereby interfering with their use.[1]Armbands may also refer toinflatable armbandsused to assist flotation for swimmers or for use with sphygmomanometers, in which case they are generally referred to as cuffs.[2]
Variation
[edit]Bronze Agearmbands have been found made frombronze(sometimes gilded) andjet.[3]Some were constructed so that it would have been impossible to remove them.[3]
When used as part of amilitaryuniformit is called abrassard.Uniforms serving other purposes such as to identify members ofclubs,societiesorteamsmay also have armbands for certain ranks or functions. An armband might identify a groupleader,ateam captain,or a person charged with controlling or organizing an event.
Police departments in Asia use armbands for a "traffic reflection armband" or marking a type of unit.
Journalists in Asia use an armband to mark themselves, similar to apress badge.
Armbands are sometimes used to indicatepolitical affiliationsor to identify the wearer with anideologyorsocial movement.
Large corporations sponsor athletes and teams in an effort to getadvertisingwhen the athletes exhibit the corporatelogovisibly. Armbands,headbands,handbandsandwristbandsare common forms of such advertising.
The phraseto wear your heart on yoursleeve,meaning to show your feelings, to display an emotional affiliation or conviction, is supposedly related to armbands. In medievaljousts,ladies of the court were said to tie a piece of cloth — ascarforkerchief— around the arm of their favoriteknight,who thus displayed his affection for the lady.[citation needed]
Armbands are often used to hold a smartphone or a portable music player on a wearer's arm while doing activities such as lifting weights, running, etc. A hybrid type of armband and handband combination is now also widely used by runners.
Mourning
[edit]In some cultures, a black armband signifies that the wearer is inmourningor wishes to identify with the commemoration of a family member, friend, comrade or team member who has died. This use is particularly common in the first meeting following the loss of a member. PresidentFranklin D. Rooseveltwore a black armband mourning the recent death of his mother at the time he signed the declaration of war against Japan in December 1941.[4]Inassociation football,it is common for a team to wear black armbands in their next match after the death of a former player or manager. This may also be accompanied by amoment of silenceat the start of the match.
The phrase "black armband view of history"was introduced to the Australian political lexicon by conservative historianGeoffrey Blaineyin 1993 to describe views of history which, he believed, posited that "much of Australian history had been a disgrace" and which focused mainly on the treatment of minority groups, especiallyAborigines.[5]The term was used by Prime MinisterJohn Howard,whose perspective on Australian history strongly contrasted with what he called the black armband view.[6]
See also
[edit]- Arm ring
- Bracelet
- Brassard, or armlet,a piece of military uniform
- Inflatable armbands,flotation devices
- Pra Jiad
- Sleeve garter
- Tefillin
References
[edit]- ^Armband Aid « Manolo for the Men
- ^Booth, J (1977)."A short history of blood pressure measurement".Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine.70(11): 793–9.doi:10.1177/003591577707001112.PMC1543468.PMID341169.
- ^abAldhouse-Green, Miranda Jane(1996).The Celtic world.Routledge. p. 416.ISBN0-415-14627-5.
- ^Roosevelt signs declaration of war:http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/tmirhdee.html
- ^M. McKenna, (10 November 1997), Research Paper 5 1997-98: "Different Perspectives on Black Armband History, Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary LibraryArchived4 April 2009 at theWayback Machine
- ^John Howard.The Liberal Tradition: The Beliefs and Values Which Guide the Federal GovernmentArchived2011-07-27 at theWayback Machine,1996 Sir Robert Menzies Lecture. Sir Robert Menzies Lecture Trust. Retrieved 16 January 2010.