- Stiletto
A stiletto is a short
knife ordagger , with a long slender blade of various designs. This dagger is primarily astabbing weapon, its narrow shape ending in a rigid pointed end allows it to penetrate deeply. It is not suited forcutting , even with edged examples. A typical early stiletto was a one piece cast metal handle and blade, that was then hammer forged in a "V" groove anvil producing a triangular blade cross section without any sharpened edges. Other examples have round, square and diamond cross sections. The word "stiletto" may sometimes be used inAmerican English to refer to aswitchblade or to a type of high-heeled shoe. "Stiletto" may also be used specifically for a knife exhibiting the same triangular cross-section and hollow grind as asmall sword .History
The word stiletto comes from the
Latin word "stilus" meaning: "a stake; a pointed instrument". [University of Notre Dame online latin dictionary (http://archives.nd.edu/latgramm.htm) ] The stiletto began to gain fame during theRenaissance when it was popular as a tool against heavily armouredknight s. The thin blade could easily pass through mostchainmail , or find its way through tiny gaps in a knight'sarmour . Later the Gunners Stilettoes became a tool for clearing cannon fuse touch holes. Used like an automotive oil dip stick, they were often scribed with marks indicating levels of powder charges for ranging distance.The stiletto was also favoured amongst assassins because it was an easily concealed weapon. This tactic occurred repeatedly, from the Zealots of
1st century Judaea , to the Venetians and the Assassins ofAlamut .World War I
World War I created the need for stilettos, several versions were made by all countries often grouped together in one class nicknamed thetrench knife .World War II
World War II saw a resurgence of the stiletto style in the form of several variants including the,U.S. Marine Raider Stiletto ,Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife andV-42 combat knife . However it should be noted that since these weapons can hold a cutting edge they are not true stilettos.1950s folding knives
Collectors often refer to the handle and cross guard style found on Italian 1950's folding picklock switchblades as a Stiletto. The blade options included dagger blades, clip points, bayonet points and wavy Indonesian style kriss blades. Early 1950s stilettos had thick blades in proportion to the height and length, resembling the renaissance knife, making them desirable. Modern production Italian knives of this style tend to have conventional thin flat blades, and are rarely hollow ground.
Colloquial Use
A stiletto may also refer to a
switchblade having a blade which telescopes out the front of the handle. A popular folding Switchblade with a tang stamped "Rizzuto Estiletto Milano" is believed to be the culprit. The word Stiletto was trademarked in the early 20th century for woodworking tools.ee also
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List of daggers
*Misericorde (weapon) References
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