Talk:Cutlass

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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, now in the public domain.

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Hello —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.240.96.186 (talk) 10:04, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Cutlass & Machete are the same implement in modern usage - cutlass is the English (and thus, English Colonial) word for the implement, while machete is the Spanish (and thus, American) word. Guettarda 19:12, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)

The meaning of "machete" in English is rather narrower than in Spanish. In English "machete" strongly implies the absence of a handguard, while "cutlass" suggests a handguard, typically in the form of a knuckle bow. While it might be correct in Spanish to call a cutlass a machete, the precise meaning is better conveyed by sable de abordaje, and notably that is the word attached in the Spanish Wikipedia [[1]] to the same picture captioned "cutlass" in this article. --Pirate Dan 20:52, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cutlasses used by pirates

I would dispute the contention that the heyday of the pirates was well over before the widespread adoption of the cutlass. In the trial transcript of Stede Bonnet's pirate crews, witnesses mentioned that after the pirates boarded their vessel they "clapped their hands to their Cutlashes." I beleive there are also several references to Captain Kidd's men beating people with the flats of their cutlasses.

I will wait for a response before editing the article. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Piratedan (talk • contribs) 22:48, 2 March 2007 (UTC).

OK, not seeing any response, I'll go ahead and edit the article. --Pirate Dan 23:00, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Royal navy 1941

I'm doing a report for my school on the most recent millitary uses of various european swords. if anyone has more inforamtion on the comment regarding the cutlass used in a "boarding action" in 1941 it would be helpful to me- just send it to my talk page. thanks, Ryan shell 20:11, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

http://www.rhs-fame.co.uk/Page%202_fame%20description.htm is where I found it. Theblindsage (talk) 10:22, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cutlasses, falchions, sabers and backswords

Previous version of the article said that pirate film cutlasses were incorrect because they substitute for backswords and falchions that were actually available to pirates. I won't dispute that at least some film cutlasses are inaccurate, but it makes no sense to say that they substitute for backswords: backsword is just a generic term for any single-edged sword, and single-edged cutlasses are legion in pirate movies. The falchion is essentially a medieval and Renaissance weapon, and by the 17th and 18th centuries it was no longer used except by certain pioneer units. There is no reason at all to say that pirates generally used falchions.

I wonder about the current version's statement that Mameluke cavalry used cutlasses. Usually we apply the word "saber" (or British "sabre") to a curved, single-edged cavalry sword. I suppose the Mameluke swords could be called "cutlasses" instead of sabers if they were notably shorter than other sabers, but does anyone know if that really is the case? Pirate Dan 19:02, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

It's not just length, but also thickness that matters. My understanding has been that the cutlass is a shorter, broader-bladed weapon then the saber, so as to avoid being entangled during shipboard fights. Longer, more regularly curved swords used for cutting and slashing tend to be termed sabers, while shorter, 'broader' blades for cutting tend to be termed either cutlasses or falchions. From what I've seen, the distinction lies in that falchions have irregular blade widths, being wider near the pointy end, and sabers have regular or declining blade widths through-out their lengths. But the Dao (Chinese saber) seems to violate this rule. To me, the saber is a cavalry weapon, by virtue of having the longer reach necessary for use on horseback, (including ride-by slashes) on a fluid battle, while the cutlass is a weapon for the closer quarters of ship-board battles. Theblindsage (talk) 10:16, 24 November 2007 (UTC)