Swiss Army knife en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˌswɪsˈɑɹmiˌnaɪf/ (General-American)
Etymology
From the prominent (although not exclusive) association of this type of knife with officers of the Swiss Army; see Swiss Army knife § History for details.
Meanings
-
Any of a class of multi-function pocket knives or multitools, having a blade and various tools, such as screwdrivers and can openers.
She carries a Swiss Army knife for the convenience of having dozens of small tools handy at any moment.
-
(broadly, figuratively) A tool or approach that has many functions, one for every perceivable need.
This software has been a good Swiss Army knife for us as we rebuild our systems.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss Army knives | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
multitool · do-all · all-purpose · do-it-yourself · can-do · SAK · jack of all trades · multipurpose
Synonyms
Translations (31)
fr couteau suisse (type of pocket knife) · es navaja suiza (type of pocket knife) · pl szwajcarski nóż oficerski (type of pocket knife) · ru швейца́рский нож (type of pocket knife) · mn Швейцарийн армийн хутга (type of pocket knife) · pt canivete suíço (type of pocket knife) · ja スイスアーミーナイフ (type of pocket knife) · fi Sveitsin armeijan veitsi (type of pocket knife) · cmn 瑞士軍刀 /瑞士军刀 (type of pocket knife) · cmn 瑞士刀 (type of pocket knife) · cs švýcarský nůž (type of pocket knife) · el ελβετικός σουγιάς (type of pocket knife) · sv schweizisk armékniv (type of pocket knife) · th มีดพับสวิส (type of pocket knife) · ar سِكِّين سْوِيسِرِيّ (type of pocket knife) · tr İsviçre çakısı (type of pocket knife) · ja アーミーナイフ (type of pocket knife) · da schweizerkniv (type of pocket knife) · de Schweizer Offiziersmesser (type of pocket knife) · it coltellino svizzero (type of pocket knife) · ru швейца́рский арме́йский нож (type of pocket knife) · de Schweizer Taschenmesser (type of pocket knife) · de Schweizer Messer (type of pocket knife) · bg швейца́рско но́жче (type of pocket knife) · ca navalla suïssa (type of pocket knife) · cmn 瑞士軍官刀 /瑞士军官刀 (type of pocket knife) · hu svájci bicska (type of pocket knife) · ga scian airm Eilvéiseach (type of pocket knife) · fi sveitsinveitsi (type of pocket knife) · fa چاقوی سوئیسی (type of pocket knife) · nl Zwitsers zakmes (type of pocket knife)
wikidata: Q23719 · wikipedia: Swiss Army knife#History · wikipedia: Swiss Armed Forces