The fire moves and collects with a badil
The etymology of badil takes us to the Latin word batillum . The concept is used to refer to a metal vane that is used to collect and move fire in homes, salamanders, chimneys and other similar structures.
Pallet for the fire
A trowel is a tool that has a handle and a shovel . Whoever uses a badil, takes it by the handle and then, with the shovel, can slide, change location or remove the fire (that is, a combustible material that is lit).
With the badil it is possible to organize the embers, stoke the fire or collect the ashes , for example. Once the flames are lit, this instrument becomes key to managing them according to needs.
Feminine of "badil"
A relatively peculiar phenomenon associated with this term is that it also has a feminine form that arose from it, rather than having had it from the beginning. This means that it is not a case similar to that of "cat and cat", for example, which have always been the masculine and feminine forms of the word that designates a small feline.
These deformations can occur for a large number of reasons, although in general they originate from the lack of written references or even from the inability of speakers to read and write, who confuse the gender of a new word and spread it in a distorted way among other people. Whatever the history of the emergence of the feminine badil , the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy accepts it and refers us directly to the masculine to discover its meaning .
However, it also gives us a colloquial verbal expression that has this term as its protagonist: it is about "hitting a person with the knuckles," which can be understood as causing them annoyance in a hidden or indirect way. It is very important to note that this phrase does not work if we use badil instead of badila , that is, we have to respect the use of the feminine as the only option, even though the meaning of both forms is exactly the same.
Finally, we can affirm that both forms are used in Spanish territory, although the choice of one or the other depends largely on the region.
Etymology
This term derives from the Latin batillum , and its meaning in the past was the same as what we give it today. There is also a meaning that defines it as a glass or receptacle that was used to carry embers from one place to another.
Returning for a moment to its feminine form, in various ancient documents written in Latin it is possible to notice a version with V , vatillum , which also has its feminine vatilla . This leads some scholars to intuit that batilla , derived from batillum , also existed.
"Badil" also designates the shovel to collect what is swept
Another meaning
The notion of badil is also used to name the utensil that is used to lift the dirt that is swept . Suppose a person wants to clean the floor in his bedroom. To accomplish this goal, you can sweep with a broom, piling up trash (dust, crumbs, etc.) in a corner. Then, with the help of a badil, he collects the waste and throws it into a basket. If you wish, you can complete the cleaning task by wiping with a cloth dampened with a disinfectant liquid.
As a proper name
El Badil , finally, is the name of a restaurant and tapas bar located in the Spanish city of Albacete . This establishment, which opened its doors in 2013, specializes in La Mancha gastronomy, preparing typical dishes such as atascaburras and oxtail stew, among other traditional recipes.