a foot-operated lever used to control certain mechanisms, as automobiles, or to play or modify the sounds of certain musical instruments, as pianos, organs, or harps. 2. a leverlike part worked by the foot to supply power in various mechanisms, as the bicycle. 3. Music.
The Sled. The sled, the first memory Jonas receives from the Giver, symbolizes the journey Jonas takes during his training and the discoveries he makes. It is red, a color that symbolizes the new, vital world of feelings and ideas that Jonas discovers.
It is used by presiding officersânotably American judges, chairmen, and auctioneersâto call for attention or to punctuate rulings and proclamations. It is customarily struck to indicate the opening and closing of proceedings, giving rise to the phrase gavel-to-gavel to describe the entirety of a meeting or session. Robert's Rules of Order provides guidelines on the proper use of the gavel in deliberative assemblies.