Clip Blade origin name?

[knifeskunk]

Hello,
I recently joined this forum; and I'm a new knife collector. I'm interested in knowing how the clip blade got its name. My 30 minutes of internet research did not reveal the reason we call this blade a "clip".
FYI - I'm learning a lot from this AAPK website and the collective knowledge of this group!
Thanks,
TIM

[Mumbleypeg]

Welcome to AAPK! Interesting question. To which I doubt anyone knows the answer.

Ken

[QTCut5]

Firstly: to AAPK.

Secondly: This is an excellent question and one I myself have wondered (however, it should probably be in the "Knife Related Q&A" forum instead of "AAPK Knife Giveaways")

Thirdly: Here is a quote from A Pocket Guide To Knives (Tobias Gibson), which is a handy reference/research resource for beginning knife collectors (you can find the full guide at: http://apg2k.hegewisch.net/index.html):

Clip: A blade type in which the lower cutting edge curves upward in a slow graceful arch about 1/3 from the tip of the blade and the top unsharpened edge is clipped in a concave pattern near the last ¼ of the blade in way to form a point when it reaches the lower edge. This is one of the most common knife points used and considered very versatile. (Compare to drop point.)

Finally: Looking forward to seeing the knives you acquire as you begin your collecting journey. WARNING: Knife Collecting can be highly addictive!

[Steve Warden]

Hi! Glad you're here!
I've always believed what Q shared, the top leading edge was "clipped" off.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

IMHO, one of the different & interesting things about knife collecting is that the blade is one of the world's oldest tools - going back far before the emergence of Homo Sapiens, let alone human written records. A recent discovery of stone blades in Kenya have been dated to over 500,000 years ago. Does that mean that our hairy ancestors were sitting around debating the relative pros & cons of the clip-point, drop-point & wharncliffe blade shapes? No, of course not - but it does indicate just how long we have been thinking about blades and how to make them better tools, and that such thinking has been going on simultaneously in different cultures around the world. Cool stuff!

[eveled]

Makes me wonder what the original shape was? Drop point and clip point both imply that they are modified from the standard shape.

[FRJ]

Through extensive research ............ in my kitchen ........... I have discovered exactly how the clip evolved.

[knife7knut]

Interesting question. I would tend to go along with the theory of the top(false or sharpened)edge being "clipped". However following that theory then a spey blade could also be referred to as a "clip" point due to the top edge being cut straight across or,"clipped". And what qualifies a blade as a,"California clip" blade? Were they originally made in California?
And what about a tanto blade? Could that not also be referred to as a "clipped" point?
And while we are on the subject what about a,"spear point"? Does that apply only to double edged blades or can it also apply to a single edge blade? Does a dagger with straight edges qualify as a "spear point"?
I'M SO CONFUSED!!!!!

[ArenaAccessories]

Hmm... maybe because it is shaped like the underside (front) of a clipper type boat / ship? Just an idea... but who knows!

[hardman]

For what it's worth, I heard the California Clip was so named because its shape along the top edge looks very much like the shape of California's eastern border.

[Mumbleypeg]

For what it's worth, I heard the California Clip was so named because its shape along the top edge looks very much like the shape of California's eastern border.

I’ve heard that also, and it makes some sense. It’s also why I prefer the term “Turkish clip”.

Ken

[Meridian_Mike]

Very interesting discussion!

Welcome to the first time posters!