Glossary of Portuguese Terms

Agulha de Arrastar
Needle with a barb, also used to the crochet.

Almofada
Cylindric bag, fulled with straw, faced with a strong tissue and with a cylindric perforation side to side, for a easier transportation care, and allows to keep the sissors, threads and bobbins.

Amêndoa
Motive based in two closed turns and twists drawing an almond.

Apanhados
Drawing based on tress, salients and twists.

Aranhas
Motive based on twists, tissue point, drawing a little spider.

Arrastar
Act of pulling the thread to join two parts of lace.

Balão
Motive based on half point, tress and turns, making a ballon.

Bichas
Motive based on twits, tissue point. The Leech lace is one of the oldest patern and the easier to do.

Bico
One side of the lace or the name of the lace made by course.

Bico de Noiva
Lace made by course. This motive use the tissue and half point.

Bilro - Small and thin instrument, generaly in pine, orange tree or cherry tree wood. The portuguese bobbin has three parts: The spool - where we put the thread; The handle - where the lace maker hold the bobbin and the sphere to better firm the bobbin.

Bordo
Thread used to accent the contour of some drawings, generaly in thread n.er 6 or 12.

Cavalete
Suport for the pillow, generaly in wood, permiting that the lace maker work seated.

Caracois
Motive that uses tissue point and sometimes the side looking like a curl of hair.

Cartolas
Motive based on half point, making a kind of a top hat.

Cerzir
Act of joining two laces with a needle.

Cobrir
Act of covering the drawing with a lace.

Correr o Bilro
Bobbin movement to increase the size of the thread between the bobbin and the lace.

Crivo- Motive done by four paires of bobbins making closed turns and twisting, doing 8 movements.

Dar a laçada- Act of holding the thread on the bobbin in away that it gets easely free.

Dobra- Lace for sheets, with two sides. One with a beak and the other with a border.

Encher os Bilros- Act of putting the thread on the bobbins using the thumb and the indicating finger of the left hand, rolling the bobbin with the right hand fingers.

Entremeio
Lace with two equal sides.

Espetos
Big pins to hold the bobbins not used.

Meia Volta
The same as half point.

Meio Ponto
Done with two pairs of bobbins interlacing between them, but non closing the turn, doing three movements.

Mestra
Experimented person that also sales the lace.
This word can also mean the place where some lace makers or girls get together to do the bobbin lace.

Nó de Tecedeira
Knot to get together two threads.

Ourela
Side of the lace which the end is done with turns and twists.

Paninho
Drawing done with closed turns in a indefinite number which looks like a tissue.

Picadeira
The same as "picador"; the name of the women that execute the Pike.

Picador
Needle to prike the drawing with a wooden end.

Picar
Open on the pike small gaps with the "picador" doing the drawing in which the lace maker will work.

Pique
Drawing generaly in yellow card ( to easely distinguish the lace and the drawings), previousely piked.

Ponto Cheio
The same as turns.

Pregar
Act of spiking a pin on a gap after doing the point.

Rede
Motive done with two pairs of bobbins, twisting, giving a turn, spiking without closing, so many times as the drawing determinats

Renda
Work done by the sucessive cross between threads, using bobbins or needle.

Rendeira
The same as Lacemaker.

Rendilha
The same as lace.

Rendilheira
The woman that does the lace.

Riscar
Drawing on a pike.

Risco
Drawing pike.

Saliente
Point done with two pairs of bobbins, giving two turns, but passing alternately up and down, doing a small petal, with 20 movements at least.

Torcer
Movement that consists in passing one bobbin over the other giving the twist point.

Volta
The same as closed turn, full point or complete turn.