Is this word commonly known?

Barber said:

If I said "He opened the window and climbed down the lattice." Would you know what a lattice was?

Click to expand...

yes

speaking from experience make sure it's a well built one...

Yes.

I am aware of lattice. Its commonly used too, or maybe its just used in this part of England and no place else. Its also used to describe a pattern, if they want an alternative word what about trellis?

Trellis might be the better word, and a better climbing bet if it's made of metal and is securely bolted into the side of the building. For an extra touch of authenticity, have the trellis support wisteria, a notoriously heavy vine.

Lattice (or lattice work) is usually made of a light wood. Cheap lattice is stapled together. It would definitely not support a person safely. Metal lattice work could work, but I'd still say trellis, which describes any structure meant to support a climbing plant.

Yes, I would.

If you want to be clearer, you could make it something like "He opened the window and climbed down the wooden latticework that was covered in ivy." Well, something like that anyway.

Yep. I know lattice-work. Trellis is fine, too.

I know lattice. It's quite common.

Yep.

I think Phaeal and alleycat are on to something--adding some more information, like "the lattice that supported the wisteria" or "the ivy-entwined lattice" or "the lattice that held up the rambling roses" would help people who didn't know the word figure out what it was from the context.

And you could add information that made the climb more exciting--"the rickety wooden lattice. It held up a rosebush that seemed to be mostly thorns."

That's how the oldest girl got into Maria's room after being caught in a rain storm when she was kissing the Nazi messenger boy. And Frederick could get all the way up it with a jar full of spiders in his hand!

(For those who think I've gone daft, I'm referring to the Sound of Music, of course.)

KTC said:

I would have to guess that everybody everywhere who speaks English knows the word lattice. I'd be shocked if I was wrong...

Click to expand...

Yeah, and I love it on a bacon and tomato sandwich.

(You knew someone was bound to do it eventually.)

I think that's a pretty common word. The Empress's idea is a good one.

What did your proof reader think you meant?

KTC said:

I would have to guess that everybody everywhere who speaks English knows the word lattice. I'd be shocked if I was wrong...

Click to expand...

Well, Barber's proofreader didn't know it. And there are places (in the US, at least) where people always say "trellis" for both free-standing plant-support structures and nailed-onto-the-wall plant-support structures.

And I bet there are lots of people (living in cities, for instance), who have never encountered lattices or trellises. Garden terminology isn't universally understood; I had a student once who was very confused by a passage about a "trowel" in...maybe Eudora Welty? It turned out he thought it was a typo for "towel" because he'd never seen or heard of a "trowel".

I think people who don't know what a lattice is probably don't read many books.

Yes

Yes. I've heard a lattice called a few different things, though. But given the context it's fairly obvious.

Also, I've seen words I didn't recognize in books, which is when I use deductive reasoning or a dictionary.

It's an unusual, I think even a rare word where I live (southeast USA), and I suspect many of the less-well-read folks I've known couldn't tell you what a lattice is, but I knew it in the context of the sentence. From my involvement in electronics, I mainly know the word as a brand name, Lattice Semiconductor. I wouldn't have known what a trellis is, though.

If I were a beta reader and saw trellis or any other word I didn't recognize, I'd hit up m-w.com for my own edification, and not say anything unless the the usage was wrong, or the dictionary said the word was obsolete or archaic.

You shouldn't use LOTS of words your target reader wouldn't know (unless it's a vocabulary lesson), that' just being snooty, but I don't think a word should neccesarily be avoided just because a reader might not know it.

So use either one, lattice or trellis.

LOL Mr Sci Fi, I love your poem. I have the same degree, and it is very nearly useless, but many writing jobs demand a BA in English or Journalism, so it looks good on the resume. While getting it, I learned a lot about writing, also, as I went to a college that demanded good writing in all programs.

tomothecat said:

Also, I've seen words I didn't recognize in books, which is when I use deductive reasoning or a dictionary.

Click to expand...

Yes, there is that.

And sometimes I just skip over things! I love Patrick O'Brian, but I have no idea what a fo'c'sle is, and no intention of ever learning.

On the other hand, try reading a Sherlock Holmes story with a class of college first-years who hate looking things up. "When did the English fight the Jezails?" "Why does Sherlock Holmes have a gasoline engine and a spider in his study?"

No, to me lattice is a description of the design of something. I would have asked, "the lattice IN what?" To me that would be like having said, "He climbed down the slats." The slats to what?

Trellis I would have understood.

I can guess what you mean, but I've not heard lattice used to describe a trellis before. It does sound like there's a regional variation thing going on with the usage.