Just in case anyone has ever wondered where Datsun came up with the term "escutcheon" for the plastic inner door handle trim covers. I thought it was kind of pretentious sounding until I discovered it actually is a real word.

Here's the definition from Webster's Dictionary.

1: a defined area on which armorial bearings are displayed and which usually consists of a shield

2: a protective or ornamental plate or flange (as around a keyhole)

3: the part of a ship's stern on which the name is displayed

More trivia for all of us Z-heads!

I take it you are not a plumber.

Even more interesting is the medical definition of the word. Look it up....

That was funny Stephen! Especially when the site I looked up the medical definition on asked the question: fuzzy search?

Definition: 'Escutcheon'

How to search:

1. Enter a text phrase:

fuzzy search?

2. Select a letter, or # for non-alphabetical entries:

| # | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

I take it you are not a plumber.

Correct. So is this a plumbing term too?

Escutcheon. Just a few more examples.

An every day term in the use or manufacture of black powder muskets.

A plate usually bronze or silver to protect the stock wood where ,for example a pin was passed through the stock and then through a tang to hold the barrel to the stock. A plate of bone, ivory, bronze, silver etc. to be engraved with hunting scenes, flags, makers name, etc.

Not a Japanese term.

Correct. So is this a plumbing term too?

The rings that go around the pipes at a wall or floor penetration.

The decorative ''trim plate '' underneath a lock on a door , be it automotive or residential.