sickles/ weapons of other country than India

Billman · 5th November 2010, 06:22 PM

Hi

Names of tools/weapons in other languages is a major problem... I collect billhooks, variously know in the UK as pruning hooks, spar hooks, block hooks, hedging bills, hand bills, bills and a whole load of other regional names...

In France they are called serpes or serpettes (small serpe) but other names also exist e.g. poudo, gouet, goyard, vousge...

Add a long handle and the english bill becomes a staff hook or slasher and a french serpe a croissant (no, not the sort you eat)....

Then there are sickles, also called hooks in the UK, and known as faucilles in France, but the faucillon and faucille à bois are curved billhooks for cutting wood...

Look up the word billhook in Spanish, and you get podadora, but search Google for podadora and you get secateurs and chainsaws... the billhook can be found, but as a podòn or a podal (or by yet another dialect name...)

Mutiple names in one country for the same tool make it difficult to be sure exactly what you have...

Even the experts get it wrong - the Cambridge Museum (UK) has a Spanish sickle shaped billhook catalogued as an 'ocino' - look this word up and you draw a blank... Search instead for 'hocino' and you will find a small 'hoz' or sickle - the 'h' in hocino is silent - if museums have this level of confusion, what hope is there for the amateur collector....

Add dialect to regional accent, and puta, pota, poda, puda can all sound the same - all are dialect variations on poudo in France and Spain...

Good luck on getting the name right for a weapon or tool in your collection....

Nathaniel · 5th November 2010, 11:35 PM

Thai/Cambodian? Rice cutter/sickle. Horn handle.

Michel · 6th November 2010, 04:00 PM

Hi Nathaniel,
These two rice cutting tools are from Cambodia.(one piece only, but two exposures)
Your photo of these 15 or 16 tools from Cambodia do not clearly show the hook and the handle of these tools.
They look at least similar to my photo.
May be Billman can suggest the most appropriate name in English. I would propose : sickle ?

Regards
Michel

Billman · 6th November 2010, 11:56 PM

Yes sickle would be the best word to describe these... in French they are known a 'faucille à riz' - rice sickle...

5th November 2010, 06:22 PM	#1
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	Hi Names of tools/weapons in other languages is a major problem... I collect billhooks, variously know in the UK as pruning hooks, spar hooks, block hooks, hedging bills, hand bills, bills and a whole load of other regional names... In France they are called serpes or serpettes (small serpe) but other names also exist e.g. poudo, gouet, goyard, vousge... Add a long handle and the english bill becomes a staff hook or slasher and a french serpe a croissant (no, not the sort you eat).... Then there are sickles, also called hooks in the UK, and known as faucilles in France, but the faucillon and faucille à bois are curved billhooks for cutting wood... Look up the word billhook in Spanish, and you get podadora, but search Google for podadora and you get secateurs and chainsaws... the billhook can be found, but as a podòn or a podal (or by yet another dialect name...) Mutiple names in one country for the same tool make it difficult to be sure exactly what you have... Even the experts get it wrong - the Cambridge Museum (UK) has a Spanish sickle shaped billhook catalogued as an 'ocino' - look this word up and you draw a blank... Search instead for 'hocino' and you will find a small 'hoz' or sickle - the 'h' in hocino is silent - if museums have this level of confusion, what hope is there for the amateur collector.... Add dialect to regional accent, and puta, pota, poda, puda can all sound the same - all are dialect variations on poudo in France and Spain... Good luck on getting the name right for a weapon or tool in your collection.... Last edited by Billman; 6th November 2010 at 11:29 AM. Reason: spelling error

6th November 2010, 04:00 PM	#3
Michel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Switzerland Posts: 139	Cambodian sickle Hi Nathaniel, These two rice cutting tools are from Cambodia.(one piece only, but two exposures) Your photo of these 15 or 16 tools from Cambodia do not clearly show the hook and the handle of these tools. They look at least similar to my photo. May be Billman can suggest the most appropriate name in English. I would propose : sickle ? Regards Michel Attached Images

5th November 2010, 11:35 PM	#2
Nathaniel Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 865	Thai/Cambodian? Rice cutter/sickle. Horn handle.

6th November 2010, 11:56 PM	#4
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	Yes sickle would be the best word to describe these... in French they are known a 'faucille à riz' - rice sickle...