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girths

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Bands or straps that secure a saddle or load on an animal's back; in poetry, they imply restraint, the equipment of travel, and the practical details of journeying by horse.

Detailed Definition
A saddle’s girths pass beneath the horse and keep the saddle in place. The poem uses them to suggest that the rider remains secure even when the horse attempts to throw him.
Example
Example in poetry:
Girths are the straps that fasten a saddle around a horse’s body, so their failure can cause a dangerous fall; “For never horse could throw him while the saddle girths would stand” makes endurance depend on practical equipment; In a cavalry poem, “he tightened the girths before dawn” can create suspense before a ride or battle; A figurative use, “the girths of custom held the village tight,” compares social restraint to a binding strap
Additional Notes
“Girths” is specialized equestrian equipment vocabulary referring to the straps holding a saddle.; Found in the poem, The Man from Snowy River by Banjo Paterson
Also Known As
circumferences widths dimensions
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