switchblade knife
1
5.9
- noun
- /ˈswɪtʃˌbleɪd naɪf/
- US
:
navaja automática
- He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade knife that opened with a simple press of the button.
Examples
-
When I hear the word "teenager" today, I almost immediately think in terms of switchblade knives, zip guns, gangs, rebellion, violence, and psychological difficulty.
Fiction book (1995) -
Suddenly he found himself focusing more intently on her arctic eyes, and before he knew what he was doing, he produced a switchblade knife and flicked it open.
Fiction book (1992) -
It's against the law to buy or sell switchblade knives.
-
You said he was using a switchblade knife, and they're harder to clean.
-
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade knife.
Fiction book (1999) -
Narrator 1: One day, Owen puts a switchblade knife in his pocket and walks into town.
Fiction book (2000) -
Beside it, stuck in the plank wall with a switchblade knife, is a piece of paper.
Fiction book (1994) -
Switchblade knives.
-
He kept an eye out for whirlwinds to stand in as he practiced flipping birds, the middle finger of his right hand snicking out like the blade of a switchblade knife.
Fiction book (1995) -
During the conflict, he brandished a switchblade knife to intimidate his opponents, highlighting its quick deployment.
Synonyms
17
6.6
A small pocket knife with a blade that opens when you press a button
9
3.4
A small folding knife that you carry in your pocket
A small folding knife whose blade opens quickly when you press a button
Surface Forms
Morphology
switchblade + knife
The phrase literally names a type of knife whose blade opens via a switching mechanism, so its meaning is directly compositional from the constituents (switch/blade + knife). Even if the single word 'switchblade' is less frequent, the components convey the function clearly and the NP is a descriptive, not idiomatic, label.
Etymology
Switchblade knife gets its name from how it works: pressing a small switch or button makes the blade suddenly flip out. So the name explains the meaning 'a pocketknife with a blade that opens automatically'.