Stanley knife

noun

1. a type of knife used for carpet fitting, etc, consisting of a thick hollow metal handle with a short, very sharp, replaceable blade inserted at one end

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stanley knife¹

C19: named after F.T. Stanley , US businessman and founder of the Stanley Rule and Level Company

Example Sentences

Yet while he would later turn out to be a master with his hands in the ring, he wasn't so adept with a Stanley knife, and one accident too many led to his father moving him into the sales team.

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She slashed him on the chest with a Stanley knife, and on another occasion threw a pair of scissors at him, cutting his arm.

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At the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Mark McKone KC revealed Vickers had a previous conviction from 1993 for wounding with intent after he slashed a man's face with a Stanley knife, for which the then 19-year-old got two years' detention, as well as some dishonesty offences.

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Tatler described him as having a "jawline sharper than a Stanley knife" when he was featured alongside fellow British players Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie last year, while he recently appeared in Vogue on his own.

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He was subject to death threats and recounted “someone putting a Stanley knife to my throat when I was going to the toilet” at the election count.

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