Many fly-fishing words and phrases have ancient origins that have little to do with their modern meanings. The word "cast is one example -this once meant a fly-fishing leader with several flies attached at various points along its length. Another example is the "X" designation used now to indicate sizes of monofilament leaders. A century ago, leaders were made of short sections of silkworm gut. Dried gut sections were drawn through diamond dies that shaved and reduced their diameters; 4x-drawn gut, for example, had been through four such drawings that ultimately determined its thickness. The higher the x-number, the finer the leader. The nomenclature remains long after the process is gone.
*i'm stealing this idea from Noah. Thanks Noah.
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