Clip Point History

Ya know the Bowie knife actually derives it’s name from the curved Bow of a ship, which the blade’s shape emulates. Surprised the OED got that one so wrong.
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Dr-Mabuse said:
Ya know the Bowie knife actually derives it’s name from the curved Bow of a ship, which the blade’s shape emulates. Surprised the OED got that one so wrong.
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Says the man with the inverted hair that thinks everything above 4th grade science that he doesn’t understand , which is a lot, is because Ancient Aliens did it!
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
Says the man with the inverted hair that thinks everything above 4th grade science that he doesn’t understand , which is a lot, is because Ancient Aliens did it!
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Hey there are people paying that man good money to spout off nonsense, so at the end of the day who’s the greater fool?

But hey, I’ll bet I could make up stories involving knives and cryptozoology all day long. There’s an untapped market here! Call me anytime history channel, I’m ready!
 
Dr-Mabuse said:
Hey there are people paying that man good money to spout off nonsense, so at the end of the day who’s the greater fool?

But hey, I’ll bet I could make up stories involving knives and cryptozoology all day long. There’s an untapped market here! Call me anytime history channel, I’m ready!
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I’m right there with you! Let’s all face it! BS sells! LOL ...
 
My mother bought her first knife (for self-protection you understand!) with coupons "clipped" out
of the community newspaper!:cool:

JM 2.jpg

Hence it became her "clipped" knife!! She lived to a ripe old age as a result!!:rolleyes:
 
Nuthin' on slipjoint either, too bad.
Well, what's with the good folks in Oxford? :thumbsdown:
:)

Webster's online has slip joint as two words, but nothing knife-related :(
I tried there wondering if an American dictionary company might be more knife-focused. Nope...

At any rate, I noticed a couple of resources that are pretty interesting for anyone interested in knife history.
This book comes out at the end of this month:
https://www.amazon.com/World-Encycl...+encyclopedia+of+knives&qid=1578499434&sr=8-3

And AG Russell has a great database compiled online.

Knife Encyclopedia
https://agrussell.com/encyclopedia

Articles on several knife-related terms/topics
https://agrussell.com/knife-articles


(Mods, hoping the AG Russell links are allowed. They are not links to products, just information ??).
 
I think slipjoint is a recent knife collector's term, perhaps coined or popularised to distinguish locking and non-locking folders. This distinction has become more important because of changes to the law in many countries, effectively outlawing lock-knives. Traditionally, non-locking folders - slipjoints - were called spring knives, a term still used by older Sheffield cutlers. I don't think I recall hearing the term slipjoint more than 20 years ago. As I remember, folding knives were just called folders, pocket-knives, etc by those who carried them. Most folding knives, of course, were traditionally non-locking, and while lock-knives have a long history, it was only the Buck 110, and the numerous copies of that pattern, which saw locking folders gain prominence (with most non-traditional pocket knives now having locks of some kind) :thumbsup:
 
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Jack Black said:
I think slipjoint is a recent knife collector's term, perhaps coined or popularised to distinguish locking and non-locking folders. This distinction has become more important because of changes to the law in many countries, effectively outlawing lock-knives. :thumbsup:
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Yes, knife laws must've been behind some of this more recent terminology.

Interesting to hear the term "spring knives."

Of course I also carry knives in other seasons of the year :)
 
Jack Black said:
I think slipjoint is a recent knife collector's term, perhaps coined or popularised to distinguish locking and non-locking folders. This distinction has become more important because of changes to the law in many countries, effectively outlawing lock-knives. Traditionally, non-locking folders - slipjoints - were called spring knives, a term still used by older Sheffield cutlers. I don't think I recall hearing the term slipjoint more than 20 years ago. As I remember, folding knives were just called folders, pocket-knives, etc by those who carried them. Most folding knives, of course, were traditionally non-locking, and while lock-knives have a long history, it was only the Buck 110, and the numerous copies of that pattern, which saw locking folders gain prominence (with most non-traditional pocket knives now having locks of some kind) :thumbsup:
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The OED was first published in 1930. I don't get the updates. Don't really need them. Dictionaries younger than I am are unnecessary.
And you are probably correct regarding "slipjoint." I learned that term here on Blade Forums. Always just called them "pocketknives" before. And I ain't ever never even owned a "modern" knife. :):p:D;)
 
Many thanks to Prester John Prester John for developing his biceps, yet taxing his eyes by grappling with meanings from mighty tomes :D But it is really interesting:thumbsup: I have The Shorter Oxford English dictionary in 2 vols from March 1933 (The Full Monty is in the office, true you don't need the magnifying glass for it but reading through multi volumes can wreck a whole day, pleasantly;)) The 2 vol edition is a beautiful work as it has a kind of raised print, you can feel it on the page not braille but rather, almost embossed:cool:

No mention of Lambfoot, Sheepfoot, Clip as blades. Not so surprising as these are sort of product or niche names. CLIPPER gives a fair bit though, sailing ship with markedly pointed bow 1830. So no Clip blades before that eh?:D And interestingly, archaic slang 1848 for something being great, 1st rate or perhaps 'awesome' as it is now used. As an aside, it is interesting to see Pres. Lyndon Johnson's resignation speech from March 1968 where he calls the Presidency the "awesome office of Presidency" Maybe we should revive CLIPPER? That's a Clipper knife! CLIP is rightly connected to the then illegal practice of 'clipping coins' whereby silver or gold coins were 'clipped' round the rim to use as scrap metal-a practice stopped by milling coins and the draconian punishments for so doing as well :eek: POCKET-KNIFE 1727 is deemed a knife of one or more blades that fold into the handle for carrying in the pocket, makes clear sense:):thumbsup:

Due to Oxford Spelling you can find the contemporary misapprehension or simplification that the suffix -ize is American and -ise is British. Oxford has always favoured -ize when the word has Greek origins -ise is a Latinate or French influence. American spelling, I suppose founded on Webster, has always adhered to the ize as did most early English dictionaries such as Samuel Johnson's landmark effort. British spelling in the late c20th decided, mainly by journalese- Murdoch's Times- to 'simplify' matters and have British -ise. but I favour the Oxford approach, don't care if it is archaic:cool:
 
Pinemoon said:
And Webster's says it's first use appeared in 1676
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Well? I guess you needed to have a pocket to put a pocket knife in..Folding knives go back to at least Roman Times.. Never heard the term Slipjoint till a couple years ago here. Though Sjlipont was the spelling used here by a young man that was
“challenged” ...
 
When you think of a square tang slipping into position against the end of a spring, "slip-joint" seems to be the perfect term! And a lockback (with a lock release on the back) is also apt!!
Life is so simple!!:p:D
 
waynorth said:
When you think of a square tang slipping into position against the end of a spring, "slip-joint" seems to be the perfect term! And a lockback (with a lock release on the back) is also apt!!
Life is so simple!!:p:D
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While I agree on the later, the first would sound better as a Tang Spring!....There’s no slip in there:p
 
I seem to recall seeing the term slip joint in old (early 2000s) AG Russell catalogs, can't say much about before that, I didn't really get into knives until then. That was about the age I started working on on a farm and had enough money to start looking for finer things than a folding utility knife.
 
Spring knife makes more sense to me than slipjoint, as all other knife can be described by their lock type. In this case the spring is the bit holding the blade in place, not the frame or liner. Knives don’t have joints, if they fold they have a pivot and that pivot doesn’t slip around if all goes well.

It’s a much more pleasant term, I suggest we try to revive this old name.
 
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