Baldric A baldric ( also baldrick , bawdrick , bauldrick as well as some other , mostly rare or obsolete , variations ) is a belt worn over one shoulder that is typically used to carry a weapon ( usually a sword ) or other implement such as a bugle or drum . The word may also refer to any belt in general , but this usage is poetic and not considered standard . Baldrics have been used since ancient times , usually as part of military dress . The design offers more support for weight than a standard waist belt , without restricting movement of the arms , and allowing easy access to the object carried . For example , the late 18th - century British Army ' s distinctive " Red coat " uniform pattern featured a pair of white baldrics crossed at the chest , with a soldier ' s bayonet sheath suspended from one and his canteen suspended from the other . Alternatively , and especially in modern times , the baldric may fill a ceremonial role rather than a practical one . Many non - military or paramilitary organizations include baldrics as part of ceremonial dress . The Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Color Corps uses a baldric as part of their uniform ; it supports a ceremonial sword . The University of Illinois marching band , the Marching Illini , wore two baldrics as a part of their uniform until 2009 , with one over each shoulder . They crossed in the front and back and were buttoned onto the jacket beneath a cape and epaulets . Roman balteus . During ancient Roman times the balteus ( plural " baltei " ) was a type of baldric commonly used to suspend a sword . It was a belt generally worn over the shoulder , passing obliquely down to the side , typically made of leather , often ornamented with precious stones , metals or both . There was also a similar belt worn by the Romans , particularly by soldiers , called a " cintus " ( pl . " cinti " ) that fastened around the waist . The word " accintus " meaning a soldier ( literally , " girt " as for battle ) attests to this differing usage . The baldric in popular culture . The baldric appears in the literary canon . Britomart , in Edmund Spenser ' s Faerie Queene , clothes herself in a borrowed armor " with brave bauldrick garnished " before embarking on her quest ( Book III , canto iii ) . Benedick , from William Shakespeare ' s " Much Ado About Nothing " , says " But that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead or hang my bugle in an invisible baldric all women shall pardon me . " A baldric features prominently in Chapter 4 of Alexandre Dumas , père ' s " The Three Musketeers " . The yeoman in Chaucer ' s " Canterbury Tales " is described as wearing a " baldrick of bright green . " The baldric of Pallas plays a key part in the Aeneid , leading Aeneas to kill Turnus . In " The Fellowship of the Ring " , Boromir is described : " On a baldric he wore a great horn tipped with silver that now was laid upon his knees . " In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain returns from his battle with the Green Knight wearing the green girdle " obliquely , like a baldric , bound at his side , / below his left shoulder , laced in a knot , in betokening the blame he had borne for his fault . " Some Klingon s wear baldrics in " Star Trek " . The character Worf does so in almost every one of his appearances through two series and four films . In " " episode " " , Worf mistakenly believes that the baldric indicates his rank or authority , so he briefly assumes command of the Enterprise . A crossed pair of baldrics is often worn as part of uniform of Morris Dance sides ; different colours of baldric help to distinguish different sides . Baldrick is a character in the BBC comedy series " Blackadder " played by Tony Robinson .