New Yatagan

[Emanuel]

Hi Kurt, gorgeous yataghan!

I'm sorry to high-jack the discussion, but a quick question to Zifir regarding the use of "bıçağ". The word translates as knife and I find it interesting that such relatively large weapons may still be considered knives.
In Romanian, we borrowed the word and changed it to "briceag", which usually refers to utility knife, pocket knife or folder. It's also invariably small.
Does "bıçağ" differentiate between food cutlery and weapons/tool blades or is it context sensitive, used with a qualifier?

Thanks!
Emanuel

Originally Posted by Zifir

3) Bu bıçağın sahibi mansur ola - Rahm-ı 'adası onun makhur ola

Let the owner of this knife be victorious - Let the family of his enemy be in deep sorrow

[Zifir]

Hi Emanuel,
"Bıçak" is a generic name used for knives and cutlery in modern Turkish. Most of the time, it is used with a qualifier, such as ekmek bıçağı (bread knife), meyve bıçağı (fruit knife). In many Ottoman Turkish texts, the term used for yatağan is "yatağan bıçağı." I am not sure about the origins, but my guess is that since yatağan was originally a secondary weapon, the term "bıçak" was used to describe it.

[kwiatek]

I think the second half of the couplet is:

daim 'adası onun makhur ola

“May his enemy always be vanquished.”