xerclod

X8E1R1C3L1O1D2

noun

A parallelogram-shaped connector in a model rocket assembly.

Scrabble 17

Meanings

nounxerclod (plural xerclods)

plural xerclods

  1. 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
APA

xerclod. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerclod

MLA

“xerclod.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerclod. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “xerclod,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/xerclod.

Source: xerclod on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.