"'Will you have some of this?' said the fat boy, plunging into the pie up to the very ferules of the knife and fork."
I first learned this word for the metal tube and end of sectional bamboo fishing rod to keep it from splitting. Apparently the cutlery here described has steel blade with a tang inserted into wooden handle, with ferule (collar) to keep handle from splitting when used.
ferrule, ferule ['fɛruːl, -rəl]
noun
1 a metal ring, tube, or cap placed over the end of a stick, handle, or post for added strength or to increase wear
2 a side opening in a pipe that gives access for inspection or cleaning
3 a bush, gland, small length of tube, etc., esp. one used for making a joint
verb
4 [transitive] to equip (a stick, etc.,) with a ferrule
[ETYMOLOGY: 17th Century: from Middle English virole, from Old French virol, from Latin viriola a little bracelet, from viria bracelet; influenced by Latin ferrum iron]
Source: The Collins English Dictionary © 2000 HarperCollins Publishers:
ferule1 ['fɛruːl, -rəl]
noun
1 a flat piece of wood, such as a ruler, used in some schools to cane children on the hand
verb
2 [transitive] (rare)
to punish with a ferule
[ETYMOLOGY: 16th Century: from Latin ferula giant fennel, whip, rod; the stalk of the plant was used for punishment]
I
ferule2 ['fɛruːl, -rəl]
noun
a variant spelling of: ferrule
