knife switch

American  

noun

Electricity.

1. a form of air switch in which a moving element, usually a hinged blade, is placed between two contact clips.

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knife switch British  

noun

1. an electric switch in which a flat metal blade, hinged at one end, is pushed between fixed contacts

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Etymology

Origin of knife switch

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

knife switch

One of the main switches for the reactor at Obninsk is a double-pole, single-throw knife switch, a device that now turns up in the U.S. only in the laboratory scenes of Frankenstein movies.

From Time Magazine Archive

This is probably the better layout, since any battery may be connected in the circuit by throwing down the knife switch, and any battery may be cut out by throwing the switch up.

From The Automobile Storage Battery Its Care And Repair by Witte, Otto A.

A double-throw knife switch in the cab controls the headlight.

From The Traveling Engineers' Association To Improve The Locomotive Engine Service of American Railroads by Anonymous

Turn it off by opening the knife switch.

From Common Science by Ritchie, John W. (John Woodside)

If the knife switch blades are hard to move, look for cutting at the pivots.

From The Automobile Storage Battery Its Care And Repair by Witte, Otto A.