I managed to play four rounds of golf when we were in Japan recently. I have put together a set of clubs for use in Japan with the help of my son who lives there. He lives in Hirakata and works in Kyoto. Now that he and his wife have a house, I am able to store clubs permanently in Japan. However, I needed to purchase all the golf paraphernalia that is required to play the game properly.
Paraphernalia refers to articles of equipment designed for a particular use of activity, or items or feature typically associated with a particular activity or subject. The store was filled with all types of sports paraphernalia. There was a souvenir shop that sold all types of beach paraphernalia. Possession of drug paraphernalia is not a criminal offense in Canada. The normal paraphernalia of a university; endowments, buildings and grounds, trustees and president, heads of departments and deans, curricula, grades and examinations, did not exist for the online school.
Paraphernalia was not used with this meaning at its origin in the English language. In the mid-1600s, paraphernalia was the property of a married woman, that she owned herself, as opposed to her husband’s property or the dowry she brought to the marriage. The word is derived from the Greek parapherna, meaning the brides’ property beyond her dowry. Parapherna is from para, meaning beyond, and pherne, meaning dowry. It referred to the separate real or personal property of a married woman that she can dispose of by will and sometimes according to common law during her life.
Paraphernalia can take either a singular or plural verb in English.
Synonyms include accoutrements, apparatus, equipment, gear, hardware, stuff, and tackle.
Accoutrements mean trappings or accessories. When our children were young, we would pack the car with toys, snacks, and all sorts of accoutrements to survive the three-day trip from southern Ontario to the farm in Manitoba. For the dinner at our house, we set out all the accoutrements for toppings on the hot dogs and hamburgers.
Apparatus infers a set of materials or equipment designed for a particular use. In chemistry labs there are apparatus designed for experiments. The gym had all the apparatus for a full workout.
Equipment means the implements used in an operation or activity. He gathered all the hockey equipment into the bag, but he left the skates on the bench by mistake.
Gear implies clothing or garments. She purchased all the gear necessary for climbing the difficult rock face.
Hardware means the major items of equipment, or their components used for a particular purpose. When she opened the Ikea box, she realized that according to the setup instructions some of the hardware was missing. He gathered the hardware needed to set up a first aid station at the finish line of the marathon.
Stuff implies materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities. He set out all the stuff needed for cooking the Thanksgiving Day turkey.
Tackle means a set of the equipment used in a particular activity. On Fathers’ Day the two of them took all the fishing tackle needed for a fun day at the lake.
Today we decided to clean up the last of the garden produce before the colder weather settled in. Patti set out all the paraphernalia needed for the job in the morning, and I joined her after a wonderful autumn golf round. Well, to be honest, she had most of the work done by the time I arrived back home. But I did do a little bit.
