Q: What do you call this? Butcher's knife with long twohanded handle?

[Carsyn]

Hello! I need a question answered...

In the Addams Family, there is a scene where Morticia gives Wednesday
a HUGE cutlery piece... the best way I can explain it is that it looks
like a butchers knife/meat cleaver with a very long two-handed handle
(a butcher's sword or something)... definetly a 'hacking' kind of
item... the movie prop looks rusted and antique, it doesn't look
specifically made just for the movie.

Do these things exist? Anyone know what this piece is called and what
its normally used for? I _must_ have one :)

Please respond here, I'll be reading.

Many thanks in advance,
Carsyn

[El Capitan]

Post by Carsyn
Hello! I need a question answered...
In the Addams Family, there is a scene where Morticia gives Wednesday
a HUGE cutlery piece... the best way I can explain it is that it looks
like a butchers knife/meat cleaver with a very long two-handed handle
(a butcher's sword or something)... definetly a 'hacking' kind of
item... the movie prop looks rusted and antique, it doesn't look
specifically made just for the movie.
Do these things exist? Anyone know what this piece is called and what
its normally used for? I _must_ have one :)
Please respond here, I'll be reading.
Many thanks in advance,
Carsyn

There used to be a Remington Knife store in the local mall back in the
late 80's, and it sold a wonderful variety of kitchen cutlery. They had
about 20 different cleavers, ranging from the Chinese-type, with the
round handle and single-bevel blade, to the tiny cheese cleavers used
for hacking up pecan logs at holiday parties.

The piece de resistance, though, was dubbed the "Lamb Splitter". It was
a monster of a cleaver, with a blade at least 15 inches long, shaped
like a falchion (http://www.vikingmetalworks.com/swords.html
about 2/3 down the page for pic of blade type)

The handle was a good 8 inches long, able to take a two handed swing if
necessary.

That might be what you saw. I was fairly impressed by it, but by the
time I could afford such a monster, the store was out of business, and
I've never seen one since.

El Capitan

[Keith]

Post by Carsyn
Hello! I need a question answered...
In the Addams Family, there is a scene where Morticia gives Wednesday
a HUGE cutlery piece... the best way I can explain it is that it looks
like a butchers knife/meat cleaver with a very long two-handed handle
(a butcher's sword or something)... definetly a 'hacking' kind of
item... the movie prop looks rusted and antique, it doesn't look
specifically made just for the movie.
Do these things exist? Anyone know what this piece is called and what
its normally used for? I _must_ have one :)
Please respond here, I'll be reading.
Many thanks in advance,
Carsyn

If you *really must have one*, then try a genuine supplier of
butcher's and slaughterers knives and saws.

And if you still can't find one, I'll find you one.


Keith.

[J Craggs]

Post by Carsyn
Hello! I need a question answered...
In the Addams Family, there is a scene where Morticia gives Wednesday
a HUGE cutlery piece... the best way I can explain it is that it looks
like a butchers knife/meat cleaver with a very long two-handed handle
(a butcher's sword or something)... definetly a 'hacking' kind of
item... the movie prop looks rusted and antique, it doesn't look
specifically made just for the movie.

I can recall watching the village butcher using
a huge 'chopper' like this to halve carcasses. He
would hang the sheep or pig from by the back legs from
hooks built into the sides of the shop doorframe, and
split it down the middle. As he got nearer the neck
end he would re-hang the carcasse to - I imagine -
maintain the tension. No 'sterile' working conditions,
and usually two or three old biddys stood around
waiting to buy as soon as the doorway was clear again
;-)
I can still hear the meaty 'smack' of that
giant cleaver even now...

I never saw him halving a beef carcasse, but
perhaps there wouldn't have been enough clearance in
the doorframe for something that big. Come to think of
it I saw them being delivered ready-halved, wrapped in
their muslin 'shrouds', borne on the backs of men
wearing bloodstained 'whites' and Foreign Legion type
caps with the long neck-flap.

I can also recall the charnel-house reek of the
'bone lorry' which called around at the various local
butchers, a stinking open bed truck with the stained
bones just piled in willy-nilly. In the winter it
wasn't too bad, but in summer it attracted a huge cloud
of glossy blue-black flies wherever it stopped. Even
when empty and washed out the wooden floor still
stunk...

Just goes to prove that nostalgia isn't *all*
rose-coloured spectacles ;-)

Gyppo

John Craggs - Writer - Adult Tutor - Storyteller
and All-Round Rogue
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