Hi Manolo,
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Originally Posted by celtan
Hi,
A puņal is virtually any fighting blade that can be held in a fist, not refined, its crossguard being either very small or absent.
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Nicely put, though I would add that such a grip emphasizes the use of the point, so it is not really applicable to a knife primarily intended to cut.
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The navajas and cuchillas (feminine terms) apply only to folding knives, albeit they can be of herculean dimensions.
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I am not sure about current Spanish colloquialisms (the old ones are largely forgotten or of uncertain meaning due to the vide spread illiteracy that persisted until WWII ) but in South America, a "cuchilla" is applied to any broad fixed blade. But the folks who use them are not all that concerned with correct terminology and cuchillo/cuchilla are often used synonimously.
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OTOH, I find the shape of the old swiss daggers extremely attractive. I guess that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder...: )
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I certainly agree with you on this one. Generally daggers were intended as companion weapons an were often lavishly decorated, but even the simpler ones had a certain gracefulness about them, albeit a deadly one.
Cheers
Chris