Ensconced
June 2nd 2008 07:26
Remember the way the house lights in cinemas used to have fittings over them so that they didn’t shine directly outwards, but only downwards? Apparently they’re called sconces, and they’re amongst the many items that are being sold in conjunction with home theater units these days.
Home theater sconces: when I first read that I thought it said scones, those tasty items made with lots of flour and all manner of fillings, from dates and raisins to savoury things like bacon and cheese.
I had the idea in my head that sconces were covers over the rails that held curtains up, and I was right. They’re also an old name for fortifications. Like so many English words sconce has several meanings. It’s even a surname, as the biography of Robert Knox Sconce testifies.
Apparently both the Scots and English use Sconce as a surname. The origin is uncertain, but it’s thought by some that it relates to the topographic name from Middle English for a ‘defensive earthwork’ or ‘protective screen of brushwood.’ Almost as likely is the possibility that it came from a nickname for someone who carried a lantern with a screen (to protect the flame from the wind). This seems a little less reasonable to me, but then names come from all sorts of situations.
But back to the theater scone – sorry, sconce. (Scones in the cinema would be quite pleasant, I’d think!) I suppose if you’re really into home theater you could go for putting up sconces around your wall lights, but it seems like extra work to me. After all, I only want to watch the movie. Plainly for some people, it’s the whole experience!
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