Dear WW: thole pins are pairs of short rods set in gunwale of f skiff, between which
the shaft of the oar sits to act as fulcrum when handle of oar is pulled.
The scythe word I mentioned is "snath" - the long handle curved to make it easy to
keep blade horizontal close to ground for efficient cutting. I learned the word in a newspaper
article about Sam Snead, the famous golfer. "Snead" also means snath, but looks more like
a Germanic word for "cut" (schneiden)