Crossword Dictionary
dagger
dagger, sticker - n
a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing
dagger, daggers, daggered, daggering - v
to stab with a small knife
dagger, short stabbing knife, ostensibly the diminutive of the sword, though in ancient and medieval times the distinction between a long dagger and a short sword was often obscure. From approximately 1300 the European dagger was consistently differentiated from the sword; in the 16th century a school of fencing developed in which a specially designed dagger with a large guard was held in the left hand and used for parrying. Its convenient size made the dagger inconspicuous to wear and easy to draw, giving it advantages over the sword in many situations. The types include the wavy-bladed Malayan kris, the short, curved kukri used by the Gurkhas, the Hindu katar with its flat triangular blade, and innumerable others.
sword
noun
A weapon having various forms but consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved blade, sharp-edged on one or both sides, with one end pointed and the other fixed in a hilt or handle.
SYNONYMS
blade, dagger, saber, cutlass, scimitar
EXAMPLES:
‘Sure, you’re used to the rumble of the controller as your character falls down a rocky hill or gets struck by an enemy’s sword.’
‘It comes at the film’s conclusion, after Mulan has returned home to her family and received her father’s blessing for running away with his sword and armor.’
‘The teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and serpents, and the sword taking vengeance upon the ungodly unto destruction.’