2. Design principles of pictographic Indus Script, gleaned from 'unicorn', 'rim-of-jar' https://tinyurl.com/yya6g9gf

Herringbone pattern.

Sign 177

Reverse side of a clay "token" from Kanmer, Kutch, with incised signs depicting (from right to left) 'wild ass' and 'ladder' (photo by Indus Project of RIHN).

khara 'equus hemionus' rebus:khār 'blacksmith

śrēṣṭrī 'ladder' Rebus: seṭh ʻ head of a guild, Members of the guild (working with a furnace). Thus, guild-master of the guild of blacksmiths. 

Kanmer seal impression as a token has two signs on the obverse which are repeated as a two-sign sequence on Khirsara tablet. 

Khirsara tablet two-sign sequence. The sequence is read rebus: 

khara 'equus hemionus' rebus:khār 'blacksmith' PLUS kuttuvā 'herring bone' rebus: kōḍa 'workshop'. Thus, together, blacksmith workshop. The same reading may relate to the obverse of Kanmer seal impression 'token'. (Many dialectical variant phonetic forms of kuttuvā 'herring bone' include: kuṭṭa, kuṭṭai 'knotty log, handcuffs', khoḍ ʻ trunk or stump of a tree ʼ, ˚ḍā m. ʻ stocks for criminals ʼ. Hence, the rebus reading kōḍa'workshop, place of work of artisans' is realised.

Three identical seal impressions of Kanmer are used on a string to constitute a set. The seal impressions are composed of the inscription:

 PLUS  These two hieroglyphs read from r. to l.: koḍa 'one' rebus: koḍ 'workshop' PLUS khareḍo 'a currycomb' rebus kharada खरडें daybook PLUS karṇaka कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus kanahār 'helmsman'. Thus, the message is: khareḍo koḍ karṇaka rebus: khareḍo 'daybook' (of) koḍ 'workshop' (of) kanahār 'helmsman'. Together, the inscription message is: daybook of workshop of helmsman. Three such seal impressions on three tokens of Kanmer constitute the consolidated cargo to be compiled on a seal message.

khareḍo 'a currycomb' (G.) Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (Gujarati) Rebus: kharada 
खरडें daybook 

 Sign 38 is a hypertext composed of kharada 

खरडें daybook PLUS  kanahār 'helmsman'. Thus, helmsman's daybook.

Variants of Sign 176

Sign 176 khareḍo 'a currycomb (Gujarati) Rebus: karaḍā खरडें 'daybook, wealth-accounting ledger'. Rebus: kharādī ' turner' (Gujarati). 

कर्णक m. du. the two legs spread out AV. xx , 133 'spread legs'; (semantic determinant) Rebus: kanahār'helmsman', karNI 'scribe, account''supercargo'. कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus: 'helmsman', karNi 'supercargo'; meṛed 'iron' rebus: meḍh 'merchant' ayo 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'metal'; 2. कर्णक 'spread legs' rebus: 'helmsman', karṇi 'supercargo'  Indicative that the merchant is seafaring metalsmith. karṇadhāra m. ʻ helmsman ʼ Suśr. [kárṇa -- , dhāra -- 1]Pa. kaṇṇadhāra -- m. ʻ helmsman ʼ; Pk. kaṇṇahāra -- m. ʻ helmsman, sailor ʼ; H. kanahār m. ʻ helmsman, fisherman ʼ.(CDIAL 2836) Decipherment: कर्णक 'helmsman' PLUS mē̃d, mēd 'body' rebus: mē̃d, mēd 'iron', med 'copper' (Slavic). Thus the body hieroglyph signifies mē̃d कर्णक karṇi 'an iron helmsman seafaring, supercargo merchant.'
khoṇḍ, kõda 'young bull-calf' खोंड [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf. (Marathi) ‘Pannier’  glyph: खोंडी [ khōṇḍī ] f An outspread shovelform sack (as formed temporarily out of a कांबळा, to hold or fend off grain, chaff &c.) Rebus: kõdā ‘to turn in a lathe’ (Bengali) kũdār ‘turner, brass-worker’. कोंद kōnda ‘engraver, lapidary setting or infixing gems’ (Marathi) 

Khirsara1a tablet

Decipherment:Hypertext of Sign 336 has hieroglyph components: muka 'ladle' (Tamil)(DEDR 4887) Rebus: mū̃h'ingot' (Santali).PLUSSign 328  baṭa 'rimless pot' rebus: baṭa 'iron' bhaṭa 'furnace'. The hypertext reads: mū̃h bhaṭa 'ingot furnace'

khara 'equus hemionus' rebus:khār 'blacksmith [Alternative: ranku ‘antelope’; rebus: ranku ‘tin’ (Santali)]

Sign 177 (Mahadevan ASI 1977 COncordance Signlist)

śrēṣṭrī 'ladder' Rebus: seṭh ʻ head of a guild, Members of the guild (working with a furnace). [Alternative: panǰā́r ‘ladder, stairs’ (Bshk.)(CDIAL 7760) Rebus: pasra ‘smithy’ (Santali)]

Thus, guild-master of the guild of blacksmiths. 

badhi ‘to ligature, to bandage, to splice, to join by successive rolls of a ligature’ (Santali) batā bamboo slips (Kur.); bate = thin slips of bamboo (Malt.)(DEDR 3917). Rebus: baḍhi = worker in wood and metal (Santali) baṛae = blacksmith (Ash.)

kolmo ‘three’ (Mu.); rebus: kolimi ‘smithy’ (Te.)

khaṇḍ ‘division’; rebus: kaṇḍ ‘furnace’ (Santali) khaḍā ‘circumscribe’ (M.); Rebs: khaḍā ‘nodule (ore), stone’ (M.)

bharna = the name given to the woof by weavers; otor bharna = warp and weft (Santali.lex.) bharna = the woof, cross-thread in weaving (Santali); bharni_ (H.) (Santali.Boding.lex.) Rebus: bhoron = a mixture of brass and bell metal (Santali.lex.) bharan = to spread or bring out from a kiln (P.lex.) bha_ran. = to bring out from a kiln (G.)  ba_ran.iyo = one whose profession it is to sift ashes or dust in a goldsmith’s workshop (G.lex.) bharant (lit. bearing) is used in the plural in Pan~cavim.s’a Bra_hman.a (18.10.8). Sa_yan.a interprets this as ‘the warrior caste’ (bharata_m – bharan.am kurvata_m ks.atriya_n.a_m). *Weber notes this as a reference to the Bharata-s. (Indische Studien, 10.28.n.2)

kuṭi = a slice, a bit, a small piece (Santali.lex.Bodding) Rebus: kuṭhi ‘iron smelter furnace’ (Santali)

Hieroglyph ḍhaṁkaṇa 'lid' rebus dhakka 'excellent, bright, blazing metal article' 

meḍhi 'plait' meḍ 'iron'; daürā 'rope' Rebus dhāvḍā 'smelter'

kṣōḍa m. ʻ post to which an elephant is fastened ʼ lex. [Poss. conn. with *khuṭṭa -- 1 with kh -- sanskritized as kṣ -- ]Pk. khōḍa -- m. ʻ boundary post ʼ, ˚ḍī -- f. ʻ big piece of wood, wooden bolt ʼ, taṁtukkhōḍī -- f. ʻ peg in a loom ʼ; N. khoriyo ʻ land on which trees have been cut and burnt and crops sown ʼ (< ʻ *having stumps ʼ?); H. khoṛ m. ʻ piece of wood ʼ, ˚ṛā m. ʻ stocks, handcuffs ʼ, khoṛkā m. ʻ stump of a tree ʼ; G. khoṛ n. ʻ large block of wood ʼ; M. khoḍ n. ʻ trunk or stump of a tree ʼ, ˚ḍā m. ʻ stocks for criminals ʼ.(CDIAL 3748) *khuṭṭa1 ʻ peg, post ʼ. 2. *khuṇṭa -- 1. [Same as *khuṭṭa -- 2? -- See also kṣōḍa -- .]1. Ku. khuṭī ʻ peg ʼ; N. khuṭnu ʻ to stitch ʼ (der. *khuṭ ʻ pin ʼ as khilnu from khil s.v. khīˊla -- ); Mth. khuṭā ʻ peg, post ʼ; H. khūṭā m. ʻ peg, stump ʼ; Marw. khuṭī f. ʻ peg ʼ; M. khuṭā m. ʻ post ʼ.2. Pk. khuṁṭa -- , khoṁṭaya -- m. ʻ peg, post ʼ; Dm. kuṇḍa ʻ peg for fastening yoke to plough -- pole ʼ; L. khū̃ḍī f. ʻ drum -- stick ʼ; P. khuṇḍ, ˚ḍā m. ʻ peg, stump ʼ; WPah. rudh. khuṇḍ ʻ tethering peg or post ʼ; A. khũṭā ʻ post ʼ, ˚ṭi ʻ peg ʼ; B. khũṭā, ˚ṭi ʻ wooden post, stake, pin, wedge ʼ; Or. khuṇṭa, ˚ṭā ʻ pillar, post ʼ; Bi. (with -- ḍa -- ) khũṭrā, ˚rī ʻ posts about one foot high rising from body of cart ʼ; H. khū̃ṭā m. ʻ stump, log ʼ, ˚ṭī f. ʻ small peg ʼ (→ P. khū̃ṭā m., ˚ṭī f. ʻ stake, peg ʼ); G. khū̃ṭ f. ʻ landmark ʼ, khũṭɔ m., ˚ṭī f. ʻ peg ʼ, ˚ṭũ n. ʻ stump ʼ, ˚ṭiyũ n. ʻ upright support in frame of wagon ʼ, khū̃ṭṛũ n. ʻ half -- burnt piece of fuel ʼ; M. khũṭ m. ʻ stump of tree, pile in river, grume on teat ʼ (semant. cf. kīla -- 1 s.v. *khila -- 2), khũṭā m. ʻ stake ʼ, ˚ṭī f. ʻ wooden pin ʼ, khũṭaḷṇẽ ʻ to dibble ʼ.Addenda: *khuṭṭa -- 1. 2. *khuṇṭa -- 1: WPah.kṭg. khv́ndɔ ʻ pole for fencing or piling grass round ʼ (Him.I 35 nd poss. wrong for ṇḍ); J. khuṇḍā m. ʻ peg to fasten cattle to ʼ.(CDIAL 3893)

Ta. kuṭṭai, kuṭṭai-maram stocks; kaikkuṭṭai handcuffs. To. kuṭy, koy-kuṭy id.(DEDRF 1674) Ma. kuṭṭa a knotty log. Ko. guṭḷ stake to which animal is tied, any large wooden peg. To. kuṭy a stump. Ka. (Coorg) kuṭṭustem of a tree which remains after cutting it. Koḍ. kuṭṭe log. Tu. kuṭṭi stake, peg, stump. Go. (Mu.) kuṭṭa, guṭṭa, (G. Ma.) guṭṭa, (Ko.) guṭa stump of tree; (S.) kuṭṭa id., stubble; (FH.) kuta jowari stubble (Voc. 731). Pe. kuṭa stump of tree. Kui gūṭa, (K.) guṭa id. Kuwi (Su.) guṭṭu (pl. guṭka) id., stubble of paddy; (Isr.) kuḍuli log. / The items here, those in DBIA 104 (add: Go. [SR.] guṭṭam, [M.] guṭṭa, [L.] guṭā peg [Voc. 1112]), and those in Turner, CDIAL, no. 3893 *khuṭṭa-, *khuṇṭa- and no. 3748 kṣōḍa-, exhibit considerable convergence and present many problems of immediate relationship. (DEDR 1676)  Ka. (Hav.) kutta straight up. Tu. (B-K.) kutta vertical, steep, straight.(DEDR 1716) குத்தா kuttā, n. A herring. See குத்துவா.குத்தாங்கல் kuttāṅ-kal, n. < குத்து- + ஆம் +. Stone or brick laid upright on edge; செங்குத்தாக வைக்குங் கல் அல்லது செங்கல்.குத்துக்கல் kuttu-k-kal, n. < id. +. 1. Stone standing on edge; செங்குத்தான கல். 2. Bricks placed on edge, as in arching, terracing; செங்குத்தாகவைத்துக்கட்டுஞ் செங்கல். 3. Stone marking the depth of water in a tank; ஏரிநீரின் ஆழத்தைக்காட்டும் அளவுகல்.குத்துவா kuttuvā, n. A herring, golden, glossed with purple, Pellona brachysoma; கடல்மீன்வகை. குத்துவாமீன் kuttuvā-mīṉ, n. < குத்துவா +. See குத்துவா.