The Tinguian and Ilocano Peoples--an ethnography based on the work of Cole

[A. G. Maisey]

No Ian, I would not refer to the finger stop on the Canary Island knife as a choil.

In simple terms a choil is an area between the cutting edge and the tang that is intended as the point where the sharpening of the cutting edge begins.

It is not a guard, nor a finger stop, nor a ricasso, it is not there to catch an opponent's blade in knife combat, it is not a decorative element, it is not intended to interrupt the flow of blood on the blade and redirect it away from the user's hand, it has no religious function nor association, it is not intended to be used to strip sinew, nor to strip bark.

The choil is a design element in a blade that indicates the point at which blade sharpening should commence. It can occur in various forms, and some are large enough to accommodate a finger, but the purpose of the choil is not to accommodate a finger.

The Spanish Notch is usually found in a similar position to the choil, but although it may be similar to a choil, and can also be used to indicate the point at which sharpening should begin, it is not a choil. The Spanish Notch appears to have its origins in mediaeval left hand daggers, it continued as a design element in the line of large knives that followed the left hand dagger and in these knives it eventually developed into a decorative feature.

In modern custom knives the Spanish Notch is sometimes included as a decorative element, I very much doubt if most custom makers have any understanding of its origins or original purpose.