a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade
from atop his horse the warrior hurled a javelin that pierced the chest of his hapless foe
Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.
—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
At a handful of locations, these spikes extended out to nearly a meter, looking more like lances than anything needed to ward off a close-in attack.
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