O.Henry mentions a fencing position: "tierce":
"Half-adventurers--brave and splendid figures--have been numerous. >From the Crusades to the Palisades they have enriched the arts of history and fiction and the trade of historical fiction. But each of them had a prize to win, a goal to kick, an axe to grind, a race to run, a new thrust in tierce to deliver, a name to carve, a crow to pick--so they were not followers of true adventure."

From the Internet:
Ah, the parries or the POSITIONS.

(In the case of a right-handed fencer.)

1. Prime (1st, say 'prim' – old French) is when you draw your sword from the scabbard which you wear on your left side. Hand in pronation - palm down. Almost like kissing the back of your hand.

2. Seconde (2nd) is the one immediately to the right of Prime. Both Prime & Seconde are parries against low-line attacks. Hand still in pronation.

3. Tierce (3rd) drop your sword hand from Seconde and you'll have 3rd. The hand is still in pronation (palm down).

4. Quarte (4th) is left of Tierce protecting the chest. Hand in semi-pronation. Make sure you meet your opponent's blade with an edge no matter which weapon.

Oh-ho! This is a rare word for the de-fence-less.

and of course, there's the Tierce-de-Picardie...

Tierce de picardie
(Fr.) The surprising sound of a major third at the end of a piece otherwise in a minor key thus converting the expected minor chord to a major one. This was a common device up to the mid-18th century

It is still commonly used in the church where I play each Sunday--I love throwing in that unexpected major chord at the conclusion of hymns with minor tonality. Just never knew it was a tierce de picardie! Thanks, et' and Bill. This is a lovely place to visit, you know? I usually leave it in a kind of tierce de picardie turnabout of mood for the better!

tierce de picardie turnabout

perhaps a tiercetrope? tropetierce? trope de Picardie?

Well, I suppose when one goes traipsing about in Wordland it's much better to trip about troping those Tierces de Picardie in that you leave with something you hadn't gone in with...

And that's certainly much better than going down those stairs and remembering something you'd forgotten!

[Yes, Michael, I've forgotten both the French and the German.]