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Swiss Army Knife

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The term "Swiss Army knife" is sometimes used metaphorically to describe usefulness

Joe

Bern, Switzerland

A Swiss Army knife (SAK), (French: Couteau suisse, German: Schweizer Offiziersmesser, Italian: Coltellino svizzero) is a brand of multi-function pocket knife or multi-tool. Generally speaking, a Swiss Army knife has a blade as well as various tools, such as screwdrivers and can openers. These attachments are stowed inside the handle of the knife through a pivot point mechanism. The handle is usually red, and features a Cross and Shield, the emblem of Switzerland. The knife model that is currently in use by the Swiss Army has a knurled alox handle with the Swiss crest, a blade, a reamer, a blade combining bottle opener, screwdriver, and wire stripper, and a combined can-opener and small screwdriver. It originated in Ibach Schwyz, Switzerland in 1897. The term "Swiss Army" is a registered trademark owned by Wenger S.A. and Victorinox A.G., longtime suppliers of knives to the Swiss Armed Forces.

The term "Swiss Army knife" is sometimes used metaphorically to describe usefulness, such as a software tool that is a collection of special-purpose tools. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II, presumably because they had trouble pronouncing its original name, "Offiziersmesser".[1] The "Swiss Army" knife has been added to the collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Munich's State Museum of Applied Art for its design.

In 1891, Karl Elsener, then owner of a company that made surgical equipment, discovered to his dismay that the pocket knives supplied to the Swiss army were in fact made in Solingen Germany. In that age of nationalism, Elsener set out to manufacture the knives in Switzerland itself. Elsener began working on what became the predecessor to the modern Swiss Army knife, called the "Soldier's Knife". The original had a wooden handle, as opposed to the plastic and metal seen today, and featured a cutting blade, a screwdriver, a can opener, and a punch. This knife was sold to the Swiss army, but Elsener was not satisfied with its first incarnation. In 1896, after five years of hard work, Elsener managed to put the blades on both sides of the handle using a special spring mechanism, allowing him to use the same spring to hold them in place, an innovation at the time. This allowed Elsener to put twice as many features on the knife; he added a second cutting blade and a corkscrew.

Karl Elsener used the cross and shield to identify his knives, the symbol still used today on Victorinox-branded versions. When his mother died in 1909, Elsener decided to name his company "Victoria" in her memory. In 1921 the company started using stainless steel to make the Swiss Army Knife. Stainless steel is also known as "inox", short for the French term acier inoxydable.[3] "Victoria" and "inox" were then combined to create the company name "Victorinox".[4]

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