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under the knife

 - 5 dictionary results

knife

  [nahyf] noun, plural knives  [nahyvz] , verb, knifed, knif⋅ing.
Use under the knife in a Sentence
–noun
1. an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.
2. a knifelike weapon; dagger or short sword.
3. any blade for cutting, as in a tool or machine.
–verb (used with object)
4. to apply a knife to; cut, stab, etc., with a knife.
5. to attempt to defeat or undermine in a secret or underhanded way.
–verb (used without object)
6. to move or cleave through something with or as if with a knife: The ship knifed through the heavy seas.
—Idiom
7. under the knife, in surgery; undergoing a medical operation: The patient was under the knife for four hours.
Origin:
bef. 1100; ME knif, OE cnīf; c. D knijf, G Kneif, ON knīfr

Related forms:
knifelike, adjective
knifer, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To under the knife
knife   (nīf)   
n.   pl. knives (nīvz)

  1. A cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade attached to a handle.

  2. A cutting edge; a blade.

v.   knifed, knif·ing, knifes

v.   tr.

  1. To use a knife on, especially to stab; wound with a knife.

  2. Informal To betray or attempt to defeat by underhand means.

v.   intr.
To cut or slash a way through something with or as if with a knife: The boat knifed through the waves.

[Middle English knif, from Old English cnīf, from Old Norse knīfr.]
knif'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

knife 
late O.E. cnif, from O.N. knifr, from P.Gmc. *knibaz (cf. M.L.G. knif, M.Du. cnijf, Ger. kneip), of uncertain origin. The verb is first attested 1865, from the noun. Fr. canif "penknife" (1441) is borrowed from M.E. or O.N.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: knife
Pronunciation: 'nIf
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural knives /'nIvz/
1 : any of variousinstruments used in surgery primarily to sever tissues: as a : a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade attached to a handle b : an instrument that cuts bymeans of an electrical current
2 : SURGERY 3 —usually used in the phrase under the knifeknife this morning> knife>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

under the knife

Undergoing surgery, as in He was awake the entire time he was under the knife. The phrase is often put as meaning "be operated on," as in When do you go under the knife? Knife standing for "surgery" was first recorded in 1880.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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