https://www.wsj.com/articles/gavel-a-tool-for-stonework-and-legislative-politics-11673565827
'Gavel': A Tool for Stonework and Legislative Politics
A mallet symoblizing authority most likely got its name from the secret traditions of Freemasons
Illustration: James Yang
By Ben Zimmer
Jan. 12, 2023 6:23 pm ET
Linguist and lexicographer Ben Zimmer analyzes the origins of words in the news. Read previous columns here.
After a tense 15 rounds of voting that stretched over four days, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy was finally elected as the speaker of the House of Representatives in the wee hours of Saturday, Jan. 7. His reward? The Speaker's gavel.