A Sgian Dubh (pronounced ski-an doo) is a ceremonial stabbing knife with a fixed blade (not a folding blade) typically worn with full Scottish highland dress. Its cutting edge is generally under three inches (7.6cm).
The distinctive fighting knife used by the Gaelic Irish in the Late Medieval / Early Modern period is the skean (Ir. scian, pronounced “shkeen”), rendered variously in English as “skean,” “skayne,” etc. It was an acutely pointed, single-edged knife very similar to the more well known Scottish dirk.
A Sgian Dubh (pronounced ski-an doo) is a ceremonial stabbing knife with a fixed blade (not a folding blade) typically worn with full Scottish highland dress. Its cutting edge is generally under three inches (7.6cm).
The sgian-dubh (/ˌskiːən ˈduː/ skee-ən-DOO; Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [s̪kʲənˈt̪u]) – also anglicized as skene-dhu – is a small, single-edged knife (Scottish Gaelic: sgian) worn as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress.
If you are wearing Scottish national dress in the UK, you are perfectly within the law to carry a sgian dubh of any length or a dirk (our traditional long knife, worn on the belt and typically with a 12″ blade length) or both.
Horn Sgian Dubh – would have been worn during the day as a working knife. Dress Sgian Dubh – worn as part of Scottish national dress. Dirks – a long bladed dagger that is now a symbolic traditional and ceremonial weapon worn by officers, pipers and drummers of Scottish Highland regiments.
A female kilt is typically called a kilted skirt or simply a kilt. In traditional Scottish Highland wear, the specific historical equivalent for women is known as an earasaid (or arisaid).
The Skean (Irish: Scian, pronounced "shkeen") is the definitive traditional Irish knife. Originating as a long, acutely pointed, single-edged combat dagger, it was favored by Gaelic warriors and Irish Kerns (light infantry) from the 15th to 17th centuries. It is very similar in design to the Scottish dirk.
In the UK, street, drill, and roadman slang features several terms for a knife, often tied to gang culture. The most common slang terms include:
While all dirks are types of daggers, not all daggers are dirks. A dagger is a general term for any double-edged, pointed stabbing weapon. A dirk is a specific, historically Scottish variation of a dagger that typically features a single, sharp cutting edge and a thick, straight, or slightly curved blade.
One of the most feared clans of the Highlands of Scotland was the clan Campbells of Breadalbane, they were known to be particularly violent and even the clan MacGregors is rumored to have had some fear of them.
The small knife worn tucked into the top of a Scotsman's sock is called a sgian-dubh (pronounced skee-an-doo).
Bahookie is a colloquial Scottish term that means the buttocks, bottom, or backside. It is often used in playful banter or everyday conversation—for example, “Take care not to fall on your bahookie” or “Get off your bahookie and do something!”
Of all Scottish and Celtic knives and daggers, the most popular was the Highland dirk. This long, multipurpose knife was used for skinning and cutting through animal bone and was also a great close-combat weapon.
In Ireland the law states that you are guilty of an offence is you carry 'In a public place, any knife or other article which has a blade or is sharply pointed'. This includes a simple Opinel knife or a Leatherman that contains a blade. But also a broken bottle or pair of scissors.
“Cailín” is the Irish slang for “girl.” A lot of Irish people still use this word even when speaking in English. The plural, “Cailíní,” is also commonly used, for example, “I'm meeting up with the cailíní later on.” 28. Now we're suckin' diesel. One of our absolute favorite Irish phrases!
A bollock dagger or ballock knife is a type of dagger with a distinctively shaped hilt, with two oval swellings at the guard resembling testes (ballocks or "bollocks").
Navy SEALs do not have a single standard-issue knife, but rather carry a mix of specific duty blades, hard-use survival tools, and custom-chosen personal knives.
A dirk or dagger means a knife or other instrument capable of being used as a stabbing weapon and likely to cause serious bodily injury. It does not matter if the weapon has a hand guard or not. A screwdriver can be considered an “instrument capable of being used as a stabbing weapon” depending on how it is carried.
The iconic marine knife is the KA-BAR. Officially adopted in 1942 by the United States Marine Corps as the USMC Mark 2 Fighting/Utility Knife, it features a 7-inch steel blade and a stacked leather handle.
The most popular UK slang for an attractive woman includes peng, leng, and fit. These terms are used similarly to "hot" or "gorgeous".
Literally translated, 'messer' is the Germanic word for 'knife'. In the context of historical European weaponry it usually refers to a single-edged fighting knife, ranging in size from a small dagger to a large two-handed sword.
In the high-end folding knife community, the original "Holy Trinity" refers to three legendary American makers who pioneered the modern premium tactical folder. Together, their designs set the gold standard for durability and precision.
Irish Vikings, or the people of mixed Scandinavian and Gaelic heritage, were primarily known as the Norse-Gaels (or Gall-Goídil in Old Irish). As they settled and integrated into local society, they were also referred to as Hiberno-Norse.
The shillelagh (pronounced "shi-LAY-lee") is the most famous of the three, a uniquely Irish walking stick and cudgel traditionally made from blackthorn or oak. Origin: The Blackthorn Shillelagh Stick was originally used many years ago in Ireland to settle disputes.