A sword with only one sharpened edge, as opposed to a double-edged sword. The backsword was common in early modern European warfare and sport fencing. The term is also associated with a rural stick-fighting tradition in England known as backsword play, where a wooden stick substituted for the actual weapon. Now primarily encountered in historical writing and re-enactment contexts. The weapon's single edge distinguished it from the broadsword.
The exhibit included a well-preserved backsword from the 17th century, the single edge still visible.
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A sword with one sharp edge.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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