Swiss Army knife
7
3.4
- noun
- /swɪs ˈɑrmi naɪf/
:
navaja suiza
- He is considered a Swiss Army knife in the office, as he can handle everything from technical support to customer service.
- Swiss Army knife with a blade
- Swiss Army knife in my pocket
- carries a Swiss Army knife
But this is the most amazing Swiss Army knife ever created.
- But this is the most amazing Swiss Army knife ever created.
- They were Swiss Army knives, but they were likable too.
- Back in the day, you could bring the Swiss Army knife.
Examples
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Andy whips out his Swiss Army knife, opens the screwdriver, and tries it in the old-fashioned keyhole - it doesn't work.
Fiction book (1997) -
The Swiss Army knife and the tire gauge were gone from the glove compartment.
Fiction book (1992) -
But, all I really care about is my Swiss Army knife.
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I tried to find my Swiss Army knife, but-
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It's a Swiss Army knife.
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A human Swiss Army knife.
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I see him as the perfect Swiss Army knife player.
Blog text (30) -
Well, fortunately, I never go anywhere without my Swiss Army knife.
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I have long kept a Swiss Army knife in the car in a little easy-to-access compartment.
Blog text (27) -
The Victorinox Bike Tool is a Swiss Army knife for cyclists, featuring attachments specifically designed for bicycle maintenance.
How Versatile
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents literally point to a knife associated with the Swiss army, so learners can guess it is a kind of knife. However, the characteristic meaning—'a compact multi‑tool' and its extended metaphorical use for versatility—relies on cultural/product knowledge (the branded Swiss Army knife) and is not fully derivable from the words alone, making the relation only partially predictable.
Etymology
The noun Swiss Army knife comes from a small folding knife first made for Swiss soldiers, with many tiny tools inside like a blade, a screwdriver and scissors. Because it could do so many jobs, people call a person or thing a Swiss Army knife to mean they have 'many skills' or 'many functions'.