a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
1593, from Hercules (c.1369, as Ercules), from L. Hercles, from Gk. Herakles name of a famous hero, son of Zeus and Alcmene; lit. "Glory (kleos) of Hera," from Hera + -kles (see Damocles).