The Arkansas toothpick is a heavy dagger with a straight, pointed blade between 12 and 20 inches long, capable of both thrusting and slashing. It is credited to blacksmith James Black, also known for improving the Bowie knife, and it emerged during the American frontier era, becoming particularly notable by the mid nineteenth century, when there was no consistent distinction drawn between Bowie knives and Arkansas toothpicks. Several states, including Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, passed laws in the late 1830s naming the Arkansas toothpick specifically in efforts to curb dueling. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)Sword / Polearm / Bladed 1 Classification
Service Status Weapon Class Sources
1. Wikipedia: Arkansas toothpick
Introduction, first sentence
the Arkansas toothpick is a heavy dagger with a 12-to-20-inch (30 to 51 cm) pointed, straight blade.
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
- Weapon class (sword-polearm-blade) is a pre-industrial/melee weapon type by its own nature per the entity's own sourced description text; not carried in current active military service.
View the SourceWikipedia: Arkansas toothpick
Wikidata: Arkansas Toothpick
Wikidata Q4791923, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.