cutlass

Everyday

A short sword with a slightly curved blade and one sharp edge, used by sailors and pirates in the past. tree →

In the lessons

In stories about pirates and sea battles, a pirate waves a cutlass. In The Wind in the Willows, Ratty lays out weapons for each friend before the battle for Toad Hall; in pirate tales like Treasure Island, cutlasses are everywhere. Real swords are dangerous weapons, not toys.

Examples

• The pirate drew his cutlass. tree →
• Sailors in the navy once carried cutlasses. tree →
• The captain held a cutlass in one hand and a lantern in the other. tree →
• The museum has an old naval cutlass. tree →
• «Hand over the treasure!» growled the pirate, waving his cutlass. tree →
• A cutlass is shorter than most swords. tree →
• There was fierce struggle, in which the cutlass was torn from the pirate’s grasp. tree →

Note

Plural cutlasses. Similar: sabre, sword, scimitar (strongly curved).