# What do you hit with a gavel?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-hit-with-a-gavel/42158>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2000, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-hit-with-a-gavel/42158 "2000-11-21T18:58:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2000, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-hit-with-a-gavel/42158/1 "2000-11-21T18:58:33Z")

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The little hammer like thing a judge weilds is called a gavel. But they always seem to have this really nice coaster like thing that they hit with the gavel. Does that thing have a special name and how did that name come to be?

Thanks

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**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2000, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-hit-with-a-gavel/42158/2 "2000-11-21T19:05:27Z")

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Apparently it’s called a “block”, or “sound block”.

[http://shop.store.yahoo.com/ffaunlimited/gavandblocse.html](http://shop.store.yahoo.com/ffaunlimited/gavandblocse.html)

Search for “gavel” under the shopping category in yahoo, and you’ll see a bunch of gavel/block sets.

Arjuna34

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2000, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-hit-with-a-gavel/42158/3 "2000-11-21T21:35:59Z")

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One of my woodworking books has instructions for making a gavel. The block of wood you strike with the gavel is called the **anvil** , according to that book. My dictionaries fail to include that particular definition of “anvil,” but I found a few sites that use the term in this sense:

[http://www.icon.co.za/~chrisoco/meetings.htm](http://www.icon.co.za/~chrisoco/meetings.htm)

> **[Home - Spiegl Press](https://www.spiegl.co.uk/)**
>
> SPIEGL PRESS is a Stamford-based, family-run printing business with over fifty years’ of experience and skill. With care and precision we create many printed items from traditional, beautiful, bespoke stationery, casebound books to auctioneer...

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**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-hit-with-a-gavel/42158/4 "2000-11-21T21:50:59Z")

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it’s called a sound block.

[http://www.dtgiles.com/](http://www.dtgiles.com/)

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**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2000, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-hit-with-a-gavel/42158/5 "2000-11-21T23:03:23Z")

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He called it “counsellor,” referring to whichever attorney annoyed him most that day.