Laguiole knife

The Laguiole knife (French pronunciation: [laɡjɔl], locally [lajɔl]) is a traditional Occitan pocketknife originally produced in the "knife city" of Thiers, source of 70% of France's cutting tool production, as well as the small village of Laguiole, both located in the Massif Central region of France.

In 1840, the first awl or trocar (a surgical instrument used to puncture body cavities and relieve the suffering of cattle and other animals with bloat) was added to the some laguiole knife patterns.

In 1880, some models of the laguiole began featuring a corkscrew, in response to demands from the owners of bars in the Auvergne, and restaurants in Paris.

They are about 12 cm long when closed, with a narrow, tapered blade of a semi-yataghan form, steel backspring (slipjoint) and a high quality of construction.

This necessitates an even slimmer cutaway handle, the shape of which is fancifully known as the "lady's leg", the bolster at the base resembling a foot.

It is a myth that this embellishment is a reference to a legend of Catholic shepherds in need of a cross for prayer during their seasonal migrations between the mountains and the plains.

Lagiole droit , the earliest form of laguiole knife
Spanish Navaja dating to c. 1790; it has the yataghan style blade and curved handle which influenced the development of the classic laguiole
A modern laguiole folding knife of classic form with the blade open; the wooden grip scale shows the typical cross made of metal pins
An early twentieth-century laguiole knife with a corkscrew, the carved ivory handle in the form of a nude woman
The 'bee' or 'fly' on the end of the backspring of laguiole knives
Modern Laguiole knife, with a corkscrew