Anvil it is a solid iron block, usually with two ends, used as a surface for the object modeling and metal tools.
The anvil was used to forge metal objects for centuries, however from the 19th century onwards it began to come into disuse among blacksmiths, with the intensification of new tools brought by the Revolution Industrial.
Until the 19th century, the anvil was widely used for the production of armor, horseshoes for horses and weapons in general, such as swords, spears, axes and so on.
Nowadays, anvils are still used, but by a restricted group of blacksmiths and plastic artists, they work with metals as raw materials for their works of art.
In anatomy, the anvil is the name of the second ossicle of the middle ear, which makes up the so-called auditory membrane, along with the malleus, the stapes and the Eustachian tube. The middle ear is where the eardrum is located, being the part of hearing responsible for transmitting sound waves to the auditory nerve.
hammer and anvil
The popular saying "
be between the hammer and the anvil" is commonly used to express the condition of someone who is between two positions, opposite situations or decisions, and in any of the alternatives the individual will be penalized or victimized.