APLET
On rare occasions you may have a need for aplets.
They are small, insignificant things.. .tiny,is the word,I suppose, and a part of a much greater whole. They usually come in pairs but are used one at a time. Made of metal, plastic or alloys the most commonly used type of aplet is found in every home and used,at one time or another, by all of us. If you spell it with double "p" you get into "Java" jive.
But, enough of this quiz routine.
The aplet is that small piece of either plastic or metal which you find crimped to each end of your shoelace. It is designed to enable you to hit the shoelace holes in your shoes more accurately and easier when you lace them. The word is seldom used and unknown to most people unless they are given to working crossword puzzles. You can get along without it, both the thing itself, and the word for it, but, as every parent soon learns, you may need it when your child needs his or her shoe laces tied. It remains one of the mysteries of tot-footwear conditions how a youngster can unlace a shoe so consistently in such a short span of time. In an emergency, if the aplet is missing a little spit on the end of the fabric portion of the lace, suitably shaped by finger pressures, makes a suitable - if unsanitary - substitute.
We use the idea in other ways, too. A homemaker or decorator who has made a set of fine curtains needs to fit them on a curtain rod. The end of the rod is often less than smooth and the curtain material will snag when the rod is inserted into the loop intended for it. A four-inch square of paper - a newspaper will do - fitted over the end of the metal rod, serves as a ready aplet allowing the fabric to ride smoothly over the metal edges of the rod... taking the paper right along with it. No snags and an the job is finished in record-setting time you can brag about.
We need other types of "aplets" from time-to-time,as well.
Getting a good education is an aplet in a very real sense. It enables you to avoid much of the frustration, confusion, and costs of getting started to earn a living.
You can quickly see how much these tiny self-starters are useful throughout life. All of us need all the help we can get, so check out some which seem to fit your life style.
A.L.M. January 14,2003 [c435wds]
