In the news item "Back from pyrothecnics convention in US" (August 26) we are told that "Mr Busuttil had three complex irdieden - a rotating firework...".

Irdieden are called Catherine Wheels in English. My English dictionary describes this particular firework as "Catherine Wheel, a rotating firework, after St Catherine, who was martyred on a spikewheel".

Incidentally, some people are still using the word petard to describe the Maltese murtali. Now a rocket or similar device is a firework that rises into the air when ignited, and then explodes, says my dictionary again. Whereas a petard is "a kind of small bombshell".

A petard is fired on the ground, explodes on the ground and never leaves the ground. It is in fact the Maltese masklu, so popular in some of our feasts up to World War II.

A rocket is a far different firework altogether to the iron or brass masklu, so why are rockets being called petards?

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