Tooled leather is leather with a pattern pressed or cut into its surface. A worker lays the design on the damp leather and works it with metal tools — hammering, pressing, cutting shallow lines — so the picture stands up from the skin and you can feel it with your fingers. You see it on cowboy boots, belts, saddles, handbags and the covers of old books.

Tooled leather is leather with a pattern pressed or cut into its surface所謂tooled leather，就是表面被壓印或雕刻出圖案的皮革。A worker lays the design on the damp leather工匠把圖案畫在還濕的皮革上 and works it with metal tools再用金屬工具加工 — hammering, pressing, cutting shallow lines敲打、按壓、刻出淺淺的線條 — so the picture stands up from the skin and you can feel it with your fingers讓圖案從皮面上浮起來，用手指就摸得到。You see it on cowboy boots, belts, saddles, handbags and the covers of old books你會在牛仔靴、皮帶、馬鞍、手提包，以及舊書的封面上看到它。

The word almost always sits in front of the noun: a tooled belt, a hand-tooled saddle, a book bound in tooled leather. It carries a good feeling with it, the feeling of slow careful work done by a person rather than a machine, which is why shops like to put 'hand-tooled' on a price label. When gold leaf is pressed into the cut lines, especially on book covers, people say gold-tooled or tooled in gold.

The word almost always sits in front of the noun這個字幾乎都放在名詞前面: a tooled belt雕花皮帶, a hand-tooled saddle手工雕花馬鞍, a book bound in tooled leather用雕花皮革裝訂的書。It carries a good feeling with it這個字帶有一種好感, the feeling of slow careful work done by a person rather than a machine那種由人慢工細活做出來，而不是機器做的感覺, which is why shops like to put 'hand-tooled' on a price label這也是為什麼店家喜歡在價格標籤上寫'hand-tooled'。When gold leaf is pressed into the cut lines當金箔被壓進刻出的線條裡, especially on book covers尤其是在書封上, people say gold-tooled or tooled in gold大家會說gold-tooled或tooled in gold。

Do not let the word confuse you elsewhere: tooled is also the plain past form of the verb tool, and 'a factory tooled for making car parts' means it has been fitted with the machines it needs — a different picture entirely, and one you meet in business writing.

Do not let the word confuse you elsewhere別被這個字在別的地方弄糊塗了: tooled is also the plain past form of the verb tool它也是動詞tool的過去式, and 'a factory tooled for making car parts''a factory tooled for making car parts' means it has been fitted with the machines it needs意思是這間工廠已經裝上做汽車零件需要的機器 — a different picture entirely這完全是另一幅畫面, and one you meet in business writing而且是你會在商業文章裡遇到的用法。