1781 Balaclava

Folks sometimes ask me how I've managed to write nearly 1800 of these little essays of mine. I reply it helps to be a total ignoramus. I think that means an amiable ignorant person.
That's the ticket. Being ignorant of something and good-naturedly seeking out knowledge to end that ignorance.
Like the term balaclava. I came across it recently while reading an article in National Geographic. The article's writer was in the Antarctic, and described being issued cold weather gear. Amongst the vests, down jackets, and fleece pants, she said was issued a balaclava.
A honey drenched dessert made from filo dough?
Why would one need that? I know polish explorers need high calorie food like pemmican and seal blubber, but a rich dessert?
I was wrong, of course, and following my ignorance to the nearest ignorance relief center---Google---found out all about it. The dessert is called baklava. A balaclava is a thing you wear on your head, usually knit, and usually having slits for your eyes and mouth or sometime just one slit exposing your face.
In other words, a ski mask.
Someone must have decided to highjack the word from the Russian, as there are often uses for it that have nothing to do with skiing. Like, say, highjacking.
It does seem rather more appropriate to have such a term to describe eastern spies coming over on some surreptitious mission, dressed all in black and sporting balaclavas to shield their identities.
Although we in America still talk about ordinary criminals knocking off 7-Elevens wearing ski masks.
I'm cool with that.
Because were a crime report to say they had balaclavas on their faces your ordinary ignorant American observer like me would probably conclude the police gave them their just desserts.
America, ya gotta love it.