Meanings
plural xerclods
- rareA parallelogram-shaped connector in a model rocket assembly.
Each side of the BT-60 had 2 xerclods (short lengths of 1/8" dowels) to hang the gliders on.
2000, Rhhickok, “Re: Motor mount burn through”, in rec.models.rockets (Usenet)2 more examples
There could be some side-to-side movement, because the piece the glider fuselage was cut from is actually a bit narrower than the piece the pod pylon was cut from (and I think the xerclod is a bit narrower than the fuselage, though I've built that part up with tape).
2000, Scott D. Orr, “Re: Questions about Boost Glider Boosts [Again--Someone answer, please!]”, in rec.models.rockets (Usenet)Some sort of positive hook is needed, yet it must be designed to separate easily at ejection. Once^([sic]) common method is the "Piece X" or xerclod hook, where a rhombus hook is cut from the fuselage and attached to the pop pod.
2002, Bob Kaplow, “RMR FAQ part 8.2 Free Flight Boost Gliders [long]”, in rec.models.rockets (Usenet)
Origin
Alteration of "piece X" read upside down. Used by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the rec.models.rockets newsgroup FAQ.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
xerclod. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerclod
“xerclod.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerclod. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “xerclod,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerclod.
Source: xerclod on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.