Buzet and the villages surrounding it are famous in Istria for a whole bunch of outlandish words. Quite a few of them are of Slovene origin, for the border is within a stone’s throw, but there are many among them that remain mysterious to this day. One such word is šklop for “shotgun.” Whenever it is mentioned, everyone laughs. What a word! Quite by chance, though, I unearthed its origin. Looking for something entirely different, I learned from a Latin dictionary in my study that the term for “shotgun” was sclopetum. There! Although modified over the centuries, the root of the word has survived ever since medieval times. Buzet’s fortifications, which are visible from every road approaching the town perched on its handsome hill, must be of roughly the same age as this Latin word. A bit like genes, words are nigh ineradicable. They survive many a twist and turn in human history. And this is especially true of words that induce deeper emotions, such as fear. The old shotgun is one of them, no doubt.