ratcheting mechanism on Spanish Navajas

[fernando]

Originally Posted by machinist

I have always been partial to the rattlesnake idea, many of these knives had a pommel that is composed of a series of globes that kind of/sort of resemble the tail of the rattlesnake and some do have a motto engraved saying" if this serpent bites you there is no remedy in the pharmacy" (or so I am told, it is not my translation) so a serpent motif makes sense to me ...

One may understand that calling the opening cracking noise that of a rattlesnake is a coloquial term to go with english speaking media but, i see it as a rather remote use in Spanish terms, where in fact there are no rattlesnakes over the Iberain Peninsula. Actually the motto in navaja blades reads "se esta vibora the pica ..." . This is more plausible, as vipers are common snakes in the territory. The reason for the 'globes' in the pommel will certainly have a different explanation ... perhaps one related with Moor culture.