Bill of Challenge
A formal posted announcement of an English student's public "Playing" of his "Prize".

Botta-in-tempo
(Attack in time) attack while the adversary's preoccupied with a parry, bind, or feint.

Botta Secreta
A secret attack or special hidden technique of a school or master.

Camineering
A change of engagement or in the line of threat/attack.

Cartel
A hand delivered written notice of challenge describing the cause of the offence that provoked a duel of honor.

Cob's Traverse
Retreating indefinitely (running away, sometimes called the "ninth parry").

Corporation of the London Masters of Defence
The guild of English instructors of fighting and fence in the 1500s, it had four levels of fighter: Scholar, Free Scholar, Provost, and Master, as well as four "Ancient Masters".

Coup de grace
The dagger stroke given to mercifully end the suffering of a wounded duelist (originally used to execute a defeated knight in heavy plate armor).

Coup de Jarnac
A Renaissance term for a crippling blow to the back of the opponent's exposed knee or hamstring (so called due to a famous judicial duel, it was not a new strike at all, but did become well known and quite notorious).

Coup de main
A kill by a single, smooth, quick thrust or cut.

Duel
Personal single combat, usually illicit and illegal, only sometimes of gentlemanly or even honorable character.

En guarde
To come "on guard" (ready your weapon and self for the fight).

Engagement
Contacting or crossing (opposing) the adversary's blade.

Escrime
French for fencing, or the art of fence.

Fence/Art of Fence
A word for swordsmanship derived from the Middle English "defence", as distinguished from the modern sport of "fencing" with its origins in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Filo
Italian for the sword's edge.

Fingering
To wrap the lead (and sometime second finger and thumb) around the quillons and ricasso for superior tip control and grip, an innovative method of gripping known since ancient times, it found greatest use with Renaissance blades.

First blood
A duel that is fought only to the first sight of drawn blood as opposed to "to the death" or to the opponent "yielding".

Foining (Foyning)
English word for thrusting style swordsmanship.

Four Governors
One way of looking at the major factors in swordsmanship: perception, distance, timing, and technique.

Gripping
Holding of the sword – cut & thrust swords and rapiers were held in a 45 degree position, as opposed to the "hammer" grip as with medieval swords, and also utilized the concept of "fingering" the ricasso, both may be held in a "normal" grip as that when "pointing" the index finger, or in a pronated or supinated position.

Giving the lie
The name given to the act of offending the honor of another gentleman or his lady through insult, innuendo, or wit, it was cause for challenge to duel (e.g., "You disagree, when I say you have offended me, Sir? Are you then calling me a liar?").

Grypes
Techniques for seizure (grabbing the adversary's blade, hilt, or arm).

Guard
(Italian: guardia, sing. guardie) - guard positions, wards, fighting stances, ready postures, a position for offense and/or defense (also the protective hilt of a blade, as in compound guard, cross guard, back guard, counter guard, ring guard. etc.).

Guardant Ward
A Hanging guard, similar to Prime, Silver also distinguishes between True and Bastard Guardants.

Hanging guard
A ward with point down and to the inside and the arm raise above.

High Ward
The weapon is held centered over the head, Silver’s Open ward (perhaps so called because you are open to making any attack), roughly 45-degrees, identical to medieval long-sword high postures.

Il duello
Single combat/duel.

In-Line/Point-on
The new rapier's method of swordsmanship with the tip held always at the enemy.

Inside or Left Back Ward
Weapon held point back and down to the left, close to the hip, Viggiani’s "fourth guard wide", identical to a left Tail guard for medieval long-sword.

In-the-Round
Sword fighting that is not linear as with the small sword and modern sport fencing, but uses sidesteps and diagonal movements (voids and traverses).

Invitation
Positioning that intentionally exposes openings to purposely draw attacks.

Just Distance
The distance ("measure") where if you are close enough to hit your opponent, they are also close enough to hit you.

Kissing-the-button
Derogatory Spanish term for harassing rapier thrusts aimed at the mouth.

La canne
A form of 19th century French stick fighting art related to the use of cut & thrust swords, sabers, and cutlasses.

Left Back Ward
Inside guard, Viggiani’s "fourth guard wide", like the Tail guard in medieval methods.

Line (Line of Attack)
One of the four areas by which to attack: high outside (sixte & tierce), high inside (quarte & prime), low outside (octave & seconde), and low inside (septime & quinte). These areas also correspond to types of parries.

Low Guard
With the weapon held point down and centered, Silver’s Variable ward, identical to medieval long-sword low postures.

Mezzo
Middle (half) of the blade.

Middle Guard
Silver’s Close ward (perhaps so called because the blade closes nearer to the opponent), the weapon is held centered aimed at the opponent over the head, identical to medieval long-sword middle postures.

Molinello
Circular cut.

Master of Defence
A Renaissance instructor of swordsmanship or fence and other fighting arts.

Measure
Judging of distance in fighting.

Misura
Measure or distance and range (close or short, wide or tight, in or out).

Misura Larga
Distance at which a strike can be made by a step, by a pass, or by a lunge.

Misura Stretta
Distance at which a strike can be made by simply leaning in with an extension.

On-the-Pass
To cut with a forward or outward step, a standard means of forcefully striking or stabbing in cut & thrust swordsmanship, often used with a traverse or void.

Outside-Ward (Low Outside-Ward)
With the sword held back and down to the right, like a Back or Tail guard with a medieval long-sword.

Playing the Prize
The public testing of a student for advancement in the English schools of Defence.

Parrier-dolch
German term for using the dagger's quillons to trap a sword blade.

Pike & Musket
The term used today to refer to the Renaissance's newer methods of mass warfare.

Prima (Prima Gaurdia, or Reverse, or Guardant)
The high outside ward, pronated point-on (one of five or six of the major stances/guards) assumed after the natural position of drawing the weapon from the scabbard.

Pronation
Gripping the sword with knuckles up and palm down, the significance of which originally applied to the use of a cutting sword's flat to parry with but later referred to certain positionings for efficient parries with a rapier, it was historically less important than it is in modern sport fencing.

Provost
The third level of the four rankings in English schools of Defence.

Punta
Point.

Raffine
A swordsman bully who will provoke a duel on the slightest pretext or cause.

Rapier & Cloak (Spada e Capa)
A method of fighting using a common cloak or robe for defense.

Rapier & Dagger
A method of fighting using the addition of a parrying dagger in the other hand.

Sabre fencing
Modern sport sabre (saber) fencing is a cut & thrust form actually conceived in the early 20th century by a modern Italian fencer recombining elements of 18th and 19th century cavalry sabers and other curved military swords, as with the other two modern sport weapons (foil and epee), it has little to do with Renaissance sword skills.

Seizure
To grab the adversary's blade or hilt.

Scherma
Italian for fencing.

Scholar's privilege
In Renaissance schools of Defence, the exclusion of attacks to the face during practice with novices.

Seconda
(Second), broad or wide ward in di Grassi and others.

Second
In a formal duel, the neutral party for each side that stands in as witness and arbiter.

Singlestick/Backswording
A 19^th century form of stick fighting art primarily in Britain and related to the use of cut & thrust swords, spadroons, and sabers.

Slipping
Gaining reach by sliding the hand down the grip to the pommel when striking with a cutting blade (also throwing out a one handed thrust with a pole arm).

Spada e Pugnale
Italian for "sword and dagger", usually a rapier & dagger.

Spada solo
Italian for single sword, usually use of the rapier alone without a secondary weapon.

Sport Fencing
(Collegiate/Olympic modern fencing) a refined, formalized sport based upon the movements of the small sword of the 1700s and early 1800s which was descended from the rapier.

Stop-Thrust
A counter thrust attack into the opponent's forward movement or oncoming attack.

Stringering
Maintaining contact or opposition with the opponent's blade so as to control it.

Supination
Gripping the sword with knuckles down and palm up, the significance of which originally applied to the use of a cutting sword's flat to parry with but later referred to certain positionings for efficient parries with a rapier, it was historically less important than it is in modern sport fencing.

Swashbuckler
An Elizabethan ruffian predisposed to street fight and duel, so called by the "swashing" sound created by sword and buckler on the belt as the youth swaggered about town

Stances
(Fighting stances) wards or guards: e.g., high, middle, low, open, close, prime, seconda, terza, and guardant/hanging.

Sword & Dagger
A method of early Renaissance fighting which led to the rapier and dagger.

Sword & Buckler (Spada e brochiero)
A method of combat and street fighting common in the early Renaissance

Taglio
Cut.

Tempo
Time or moment/action with timing.

Terza
Low, back Inside (right) ward, for a cut & thrust sword Viggiani’s "Terza" or third, blade at a 45 degree angle down, for a rapier it is the blade held back and lower, closer to the hip, usually in a reverse stance.

Tutte botte principali
Principle cuts and thrusts.

Variable Ward
Silver’s low guard (also a name for all other manner of guards not Open, Close, or Guardant).

Anneu
The side-ring (ring guard or "port") on a compound-hilt.

Annelets
One term for the "arms-of-the-hilt", protective quillons rings over the ricasso.

Arms-of-the-Hilt
The finger rings extending from the quillons to the blade, often attached to a ring guard, they are mistakenly often called the "pas d'ane" although this has long been proved incorrect.

Back-Sword
A cut & thrust blade of the Renaissance with a single straight edge and usually a swept or basket hilt, its single edge allowed for a sharper blade and stronger cut, it was popular in many countries both on foot and mounted.

Blunts
Dull cut & thrust practice blades which were rebated (or "bated") with rounded edges and tips (they were sometimes called "foils" or "foiled blades").

Broadsword
A Victorian era term coined to differentiate their own thinner swords from wider Medieval ones, it is commonly applied (incorrectly) to Medieval swords, also a form of naval cutlass.

Buckler (bochiero or rottela)
A small hand held shield of metal or wood, held in a fist grip and used to deflect and punch, they sometimes had spikes, or hooks and prongs to catch rapier blades.

Claymore (basket hilted)
A form of 18th century Scottish cut & thrust sword relative of the Italian schiavona.

Colichemarde
A style of small sword blade, wider at the forte for strong parrying, then abruptly tapering for quick piercing thrusts.

Compound-hilt (Compound guard/Complex hilt)
A term used to describe the various hilts of Renaissance and some late Medieval swords consisting of more than a simple cross guard, there were a great variety.

Cup-hilt
A bowl like sword guard similar to those on modern sport fencing epee's, common in theatrical fighting, they did not first appear until the 1650s in Spain.

Cut & Thrust sword
A form of "transition" sword from the heavier, wider Medieval blade to the thinner, edgeless rapiers of the Renaissance, they were used for hacking, slashing, stabbing, had compound hilts and employed fingering, they were military blades that became popular for civilian use until superseded by the rapier (other forms of later military cut & thrust swords include the: schiavona, spadroon, cutlass, mortuary sword, hanger, and saber).

due spada
(sometimes called "Florentine") a fighting style simultaneously using two rapiers (a "case of rapiers " or "brace").

Ecusson (or Ecusson block)
The metal center or bracket of the hilt's guard where the quillons join and on which the thumb and fingers are often placed when gripping (fingering)

Espadon
Late Medieval Spanish cut & thrust sword.

Estoc (also Tuck or Stocco)
Late Medieval edgeless, two handed, thrusting sword for piercing plate armor, starting in the Victorian era the term became quite often misapplied to the rapier.

False edge (or back edge)
The top or thumb side of a sword's blade, parrying with it is less effective and not as strong.

Flamberge (Flamberg)
A "dish hilt" or "dueling hilt" style rapier, precursor to the later small sword. Starting only in the last century, these began to also be called "flambergs" by scholars (they are also known as a variant of waved rapier blade said to affect the feel of actions during parrying and once thought to make more brutal wounds, waved blades (such as on some two handers) are actually correctly known as "flambards" or "flammards").

Foible
The weaker ("feeble") but faster first quarter portion of a blade, used for attack but not defense Foiled with a blunted tip, or to add a padded tip ("refoiled").

Forte' (also "debole" in Italian)
The stronger but slower last quarter portion of a blade, used for defense more than offense, sometimes also called "fort" or even "prime".

Fuller
The shallow channel or grooves of some blades intended to lighten and strengthen it, it has nothing to do with blood flow, or sticking, or cutting power, fullers are sometimes mistakenly called "blood runs" or "blood grooves".

Grip
Handle of a sword, usually made of leather, wire, bone, horn, or ivory (also, the method of gripping the sword).

Guanta di presa (grasping glove)
A mail, leather, or metal dueling gauntlet for grabbing blades.

Hilt
The sword's guard, handle, and pommel (types of Renaissance sword hilts include: swept-hilt, shell, half-hilt, cup-hilt, dish-hilt, dueling-hilt, cavalier-hilt, Pappenheimer, mortuary-hilt, basket-hilt, etc.).

Knuckle-guard (knuckle-bar)
A protective bar on the forward quillon sometimes extending to the pommel.

Long-Sword
In the Renaissance, a term used for a Medieval-style hand-and-a-half or "bastard" sword.

Main Gauche ("left hand")
A parrying dagger worn on the back and typically held in the left hand, usually it has a wide bell-guard.

Parrying-Dagger
A dagger intentionally designed for use with a rapier, they were light, narrow, up to two feet long, and usually had curved quillons, side rings and/or finger rings.

Pas d'ane
A misnomer for the finger rings or "arms-of-the-hilt".

Pappenheimer
A rapier hilt of pierced shell guard style named after a military leader.

Pommel bolt/nut (or tang nut)
A small metal bolt or rivet on some blades securing the pommel to the tang and thereby holding the handle and guard in place.

Pommel
(Latin for "little apple") the bottom of the hilt/handle which secures the hilt to the blade, with the rapier it is not gripped or handled as on some Medieval swords, nor does it rest in the palm.

Poniard (Poynard)
A thin, long, thrusting dagger, typically square or triangular in shape.

Rapier
The familiar, thin, virtually edgeless thrusting sword of the Renaissance, popular in duel for more than a century, it produced an almost entirely new method of swordsmanship (pronounced "ray-pee-er" not "ray-peer").

Reitschwert
("Cavalry Sword") A German name for the cut & thrust sword, it was also called a degen or "knight's sword".

Ricasso
On cut & thrust swords and rapiers the dulled or squared off portion of blade just above the hilt, where the fingers hold and which is protected by the arms-of-the-hilt (finger rings), they were sometimes covered in felt or soft leather as on some two handers (modern sport fencing weapons do not have ricassos).

Riser
A raised fuller ridge providing rigidity and strength on a blade.

Rondache/Targa
Larger, less common renaissance battle shields worn on the arm.

Rotella
Small round shield or targe.

Quillion
A Renaissance term for the straight "T" shaped cross guard on swords (those on Medieval swords were simply known as the "cross", or the "guard" today), it is a French word likely derived from an older Latin one, there are two quillons: the forward (bottom) and the rear (top).

Schiavona
An Italian cage hilt cut & thrust sword, usually with a ricasso for fingering.

Sharps
Real blades with actual sharpened points or cutting edges (as opposed to practice swords or "blunts").

Shoulder
The portion of the blade which fits against the hilt and at which the tang begins.

Spada
Italian for sword, of any form, medieval or renaissance, usually a single-hand cut & thrust variety but also rapiers.

Spada da gioco
Practice sword (also spade da marra) as opposed to sharp or edged blades (spade da filo).

Spada di marra/Spada nera
Historical Spanish practice rapiers which were untipped.

Small-Sword
A sort of rapier-jr., that became the dueling weapon of the upper classes in the late Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment, it leads directly to modern sport fencing, sometimes known as a "court-sword" or" town-sword".

Segno
A wall target diagram showing the eight principle cuts.

Stitchblatt
The small pierced plates on some hilts, German for "thrust leaf".

Stocco
Medieval Italian name for the estoc or tuck.

Sword-Breaker
A term used for serrated dueling daggers with teeth-like projections capable of grabbing and holding, and supposedly snapping a rapier blade, they were fairly uncommon.

Swept-hilt
An early Renaissance hilt form designed originally to protect the unarmored hand from cuts more than thrusts, they are made up of finger-rings, side-rings, knuckle-guard, and often a variety other protective bars (back-guards and counter-guards, etc.), they are found on many cut & thrust swords and early rapiers. The name is actually a Victorian era term and not a historical one.

Sword-Rapier
A modern collector's term for certain Renaissance blades neither true rapiers nor clear cut & thrust ones, they were the result of attempts to combine the new rapier's thrusting agility with traditional cutting actions, and as a result they do neither quite as well.

Sword-catcher
A term used for special dueling daggers with extended prongs and quillons capable of grabbing and trapping a rapier blade, some had spring-locked triggers, they were uncommon (and possibly more menacing than practical).

Tang
The portion of untempered blade hidden inside the hilt and which attaches to the pommel.

Terzo
Italian term for the middle portion of a blade.

True-edge (right-edge/lead-edge)
The leading side or bottom edge of a sword, on the rapier it is used for all parries, on cutting swords only the flat and never the edge is used for parrying.

Tuck
The English word for estoc, often mistakenly used as a synonym for rapier (which at one time was how it was derogatorily used).

Turk's head
Name given to the "turban-like" metal band or collar fitting between the pommel and handle, or handle and quillons of some swords, they were often merely ornamental.

Umbo
The bowl-like metal protrusion of a buckler or shield in which the hand fits inside.

Affondo
An extending step thrust (a form of lunge).

Arrebatar
(Spanish) to cut with the whole arm (from the shoulder).

Attack-from-compound (compound attack)
To deliver an attack following a quick succession of prior ones.

Attack-from-counter (counter attack or counter)
A retaliatory attack in reaction to one by the adversary and timed to take advantage of an opening thus created.

Attack-from-inaction
One delivered quickly from a relatively still position without prior action or preparation.

Attack-from-preparation
One delivered following a prepatory action (feint, beat, cut-over, etc.).

Azioni Volanti
Avoiding blade contact on the attack and instead thrusting by deceptive motion (may involve Troumpement - avoiding a parry or the blade as you attack, or Derobement - avoiding a beat or bind).

Ballestra
A kicking feint and hop lunge.

Battre de main
A hand parry.

Bind
The action of pressuring or enveloping the adversary's blade/point in order to carry it off line and make an opening.

Botta de tempo/In Tempo (attack-in-time)
Countering or attacking when the opponent is distracted and/or unprepared.

Botta dritta
A straight attack (thrust).

Botte de paysan
A two-handed stab made by grabbing the blade near the middle with the free hand and closing-in to knock aside an opponent's weapon.

Battuta (a beat)
A distracting smack to move the adversary's blade off line or evoke a response.

Coupe' (cut-off)
A quick disengage over the top of the adversary's blade, often after their parry, basically a cut-over.

Cuts
In renaissance cut & thrust swordsmanship, there are 8 primary cuts (diagonal, horizontal, and vertical delivered up or down, right or left, using primarily the true-edge).

Cut-over
Altering the line of the attack by passing the blade over the adversary's point, basically a coupe'.

Disengage
Deceptively altering the line of attack by passing the blade under the adversary's point (said to have been first devised from observing the bobbing motions of fighting cocks).

Draw cut
A slicing cut made when close in by placing the edge against the target and quickly drawing it across or down, typically applied with stepping back or a reverse-pass.

Dritto-Filo
Cuts with the true (right) edge.

Estramacon
French term for the Stromazone.

Falsing
Subtly faking the intention or the line of an attack (a form of feinting).

Falso Dritto
Cuts to the wrists with the false-edge.

Falso Filo
Attacks with the false-edge or diagonal upward cuts using the back of the sword.

Falso Manco
Cuts to the knees with the false edge.

Fendente'
Vertical downwards cut (right or left of guard).

Finda (feint)
A false attack or action designed to elicit a response and create an opening Fleche' - ("arrow") passing the adversary on the attack, a form of running attack.

Full Pass
A form of lunge in which the rear leg moves to the lead with a thrust or cut.

"Giving the blade"
An intentional threatening extension of the arm and weapon designed to provoke a response that can then be countered.

Imbrocatta
Thrust over top of the adversary's blade or grip.

Lunga (Stocatta Lunga or Lunge)
A far-reaching thrusting attack using a forward step of the lead leg with a push off the rear leg, it was used in various forms during the Renaissance, (also a punta sopramano).

Mandoble
A light slash of the point delivered by a flick of the wrist.

Mandritti
An attack cutting from the right to the left.

Mediatajo
Cuts made from the "elbow" (faster than from the shoulder but not as strong).

Montante (Montante Sotto Mano)
A straight upward cut with the false edge (right or left of the adversary's guard).

Parry
To block, defense by the deliberate resistance of an attack by imposing the blade before it, from 6 to 8 are used to the inside/outside and high/low areas or lines.

Pass
Stepping the rear leg to the lead (or a reverse pass where the lead leg falls back) as in a "cut made on the pass", one major difference from the linear fencing of the modern sport version.

Passatto Sotto/Batte de nuit
To duck under an attack with a drop onto the free hand to deliver a counter thrust.

Patinado
A quick forward step and lunge.

Prise de fer
To bind or take the blade.

Punta Reversa
Thrust to left/outside of the adversary's blade or grip.

Punta Sopramano (Lunge or Stocatta Lunga)
A straight thrust lunge.

Quartatta (Incartata)
A rear leg side step around to the outside made with a counter-thrust.

Redoppio
Diagonal rising cuts (German Unterhau).

Redoublement
Quickly renewing the attack after a feint, beat, or bind.

Reversi
An attack cutting from left to right.

Reprise
Renewing the attack after a quick return to guard.

Riposte
A counter-attack immediately following a parry, usually in one action, an idea that became more effective with the rapier and perfected with the small-sword (common in the modern sport).

Seconde' (seconda)
Middle ward, with the blade up at a 45-degree angle (one of the major cut & thrust stances or guards).

Scandiaglio
Probing actions (feints, beats, etc.) to test and discover the opponent's nature.

Slip
To pull back some just prior to countering or stop-thrusting.

Squalembrato
A diagonal cut down or up (mandritta squalembrato = right-to-left, collar-to-waist cut).

Stocatta
A thrust low under the adversary's blade or grip.

Stocatta Lunga (Lunga or Punta Sopramano)
A lunge and low straight thrust.

Stop-Thrust/Stop-Cut
A preemptive counter attack into the opponent's forward motion.

Stromacione (stromazone)
A tearing tip-cut to the face, used to harass or distract.

Stesso Tempo
To parry and riposte in one action, often a deflecting counter-attack.

Tonda
A horizontal cut (mandritti tonda = side cut right-to-left, reversi tonda = side cut left-to-right).

Traverse
A forward or backward diagonal side-stepping move employed with a parry, void, or passing attack.

Volte
A rear leg side-step and void made with a thrust attack, it allows the adversary's attack to slip past as a counter-thrust angles in, it is a form of half Quartatta.