stanley knife
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.98 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A type of retractable utility knife with a replaceable blade.
Australian usage; New Zealand usage; British usage
Example Sentences
- "Hotels expect to lose ashtrays, coat hangers and towels, for me it was Stanley knives. I didn′t mind a bit! If anyone bought a ₤35 a carpet, they were more than welcome to a 50 pence knife."
- "[…]the trams floating slowly down Swanston Street, paper-sellers cutting open bundles with Stanley knives, the smell of ground coffee from the downstairs cafe,[…]."
- "He gripped his Stanley knife and swung open the door almost detaching it from its hinges."
- "Manchester′s ‘golden boys’, Joy Division, had recently been devastated by the death of their singer, Ian Curtis: that good-looking, sad young man had made a spectacular exit by carving a smile on his face with a Stanley knife before hanging himself."
Etymology
From a brand name owned by the US tool manufacturer formerly known as Stanley Works; from Stanley (“surname”) + knife.
Usage
- Australian usage
- New Zealand usage
- British usage