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Glite Dictionary
Barlow knife

Barlow knife

7.8
A small folding knife with a long oval handle and one strong blade
  • noun
translation icon : cuchillo Barlow
  • She pulled the sack to my waist, measured it, and then ripped two holes in it with the hooked blade of a Barlow knife, which she folded and slipped back into the bib of her overalls.

Examples

  • Mack sits, cleaning his fingernails with a Barlow knife as the radio announcer begins a news flash.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • When he needed to open the package, he quickly grabbed his trusty Barlow knife from his pocket.

  • Made me a gig out of my barlow knife and a stick.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Griswold had out his Barlow knife.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • He used his Barlow knife to carefully carve designs into the wooden block.

  • For camping, I always bring a Barlow knife because it's lightweight and durable.

Synonyms

pocketknife
vsBarlow knife
9 3.4

A small folding knife that you carry in your pocket

is a specific, sturdier type with a long oval handle and one blade

Surface Forms

Barlow knife singular
Barlow knives plural

Morphology

Barlow + knife

This is a named subtype where 'Barlow' is a proper name (not semantically informative) and 'knife' only gives the general object class. Knowing the constituents does not let a learner infer the specific shape, single blade, or pocketknife usage, so the overall meaning is not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

The name Barlow knife may come from a maker called Barlow who made a simple, strong 'pocketknife' with a long, oval handle and one tough blade. So people used his name for that style, and today Barlow knife means a small 'pocketknife' with a long handle and a single sturdy blade.