flick-knife

8.1

A small folding knife with a blade that opens quickly when you press a button

noun
/flɪk naɪf/

: navaja automática

He pressed the button and the flick-knife snapped open in his hand.

Examples

Carrying a flick-knife is illegal in many countries.
The police confiscated a flick-knife from one of the suspects.
He pulled out a flick-knife from his pocket.
Don't bring a flick-knife to school!
He pressed the button and the flick-knife snapped open in his hand.
The police confiscated a flick-knife from one of the suspects.
Carrying a flick-knife is illegal in many countries.

Synonyms

switchblade

vsflick-knife

17 6.6

A small pocket knife with a blade that opens when you press a button

is the hyphenated term for the same automatic opening mechanism

switchblade knife

vsflick-knife

1 5.9

A small folding knife that opens by itself when a button is pressed

opens automatically only when a button is pressed

flick knife

vsflick-knife

8.1

A small folding knife whose blade opens quickly when you press a button

is the hyphenated written form instead

Surface Forms

flick-knife singular

flick-knives plural

Morphology

flick-knife = flick + knife (transparent) = flick + knife

The word is a straightforward compound meaning a knife that opens by a flicking action, which is directly inferable from its parts.

Etymology

The word flick-knife comes from the quick action flick, meaning 'a quick movement', and knife, because its blade 'flicks' or springs open with a button press. So a flick-knife is a small pocket knife that opens in one fast motion.