Scottish word of the week: Claymore
Later iterations of claymores used in the 17th and 18th centuries were basket-hilted (as opposed to the cross-hilted design of earlier claymores) to protect the fighter’s hand in combat. Such designs were referred to as claidheamh cuil, or back-swords, in Gaelic.
No doubt keen to adopt the battling qualities long associated with the weapon, Scotland’s first American football franchise - the Scottish Claymores - took the name and managed to win a World Bowl championship in 1996. Former Scotland captain Gavin Hastings was a notable player for the Claymores, though Scott Couper is probably the team’s most celebrated Scottish player.