Weird question about knife terminology

Roodog

Roodog

Joined
Apr 9, 2004
Messages
466
What do you call those things that look like finger choils but are not meant to put you finger in? They are usually right at the end of the blade edge, and look just like a choil except they seem to serve as reverse cross guards. A good example of a knife with one of these features is a Swamp Rat Ratweiler. The Tops Cougar Claw has a shallower version.
 
I dont think I am. :confused: What I mean is a slot kind of like a finger choil, sometime deeper and located right at the end of the cutting edge. It looks just like a finger choil but you would have to choke up real high on the handle and not grip the handle well in order to put your finger in it.
Here is a link to a photo of a Ratweilerand Safari Skinner: http://www.swamprat.com/knives.html
Acctually, the desert rat has the "most obviously not for a finger" version of it. Some Tops blades also have this feature. Myself and friend were having a discussion triny to "recall" what this is called. We can both swear it has a name, but cant come up with it.
 
Looks like a finger choil to me. That's what I'd call it anyway.
 
Just a choil.

The ricasso is the short unsharpened portion of the blade between
the sharpened portion and the handle - it often bears a symbol or
lettering. If the bottom of the sharpened blade doesn't go straight
to the handle, if it is curved or rises up to the ricasso, then the
curved or angled back-end of the blade is the choil.
 
Cool guys, thanks for the replies. they sure looked like finger choils to me, but felt so uncomfortable choking up that high that I figured they had some other purpose.
 
A choil is not necessarily a place to put your finger. It is a space left at the end of the blade closest to the guard/bolster/handle that allows the whole length of the blade to be sharpened more easily. I have seen many choils that are too small to fit a finger in.
 
Keith Montgomery, now that makes sense. I guess that why I sometime hear them refered to as "finger choils". I guess that when they are intended for a finger, they are finger choils, otherwise just choils? Make sense?
Some of these things would not only be difficult to put a finger in, it would so compromise my grip on the knife as to make it out right dangerous.
Thanks again for all the replies. As usual, Ive learned something new from this great forum. That does it, Im becoming a paying member.
 
Regarding choil - I think someone recently posted a very good definition of "choil" - as I remember, traditionally, the choil is any area between the hindmost portion of the sharpened edge and the begining of the ricasso...

This means the little notch on a folding blade, between the ricasso and the begining of the cutting edge (for the ease of sharpening like Kieth said) all the way to the notch big enough to slip a finger into like many of the Busse/Swamprat knives. (not sure, as I haven't looked, but there may even be a discussion of knife terms in one of the FAQ's you can access...)

Any way, it took me awhile to understand the term, too...

Good luck!
 
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