What is an old battleaxe?

(old) battle-ax(e)

A strong-willed, argumentative woman, typically older in age, who is considered overbearing or domineering. My grandmother was always the matriarch of the entire family, an old battle-axe who answered to no one but God.

What does old battleaxe mean?

Definition of battle-ax

1 : a broadax formerly used as a weapon of war. 2 : a usually older woman who is sharp-tongued, domineering, or combative.

Where does the term the old battleaxe come from?

The Vikings, Normans, ancient Chinese warriors, and Napoleonic troops all carried battle-axes. It was once fairly common to demean a forceful older woman by calling her a battle-ax, too. This American slang was inspired by temperance activist Carrie Nation and is now considered offensive and outdated.

What does battle-axe mean in slang?

or bat·tle-axe

a broadax formerly used as a weapon of war. Slang. a domineering, aggressive, sharp-tempered person, especially a woman.

What is a medieval ax called?

The Dane axe is an early type of battle axe, primarily used during the transition between the European Viking Age and early Middle Ages. Other names for the weapon include English long axe, Danish axe, and hafted axe.

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What did Vikings call their axes?

A bearded axe, or Skeggøx (from Old Norse Skegg, "beard", and øx, "axe") refers to various axes, used as a tool and weapon, as early as the 6th century AD. It is most commonly associated with Viking Age Scandinavians.

Did Vikings name their axes?

In effect, these poetic devices enhance names and telling stories. Metaphors were commonly used to give extra meaning to important objects and events. Most famously, the descriptions of many famous swords, spears, axes, and shields were kennings.

What is a fighting axe called?

A battle axe (also battle-axe, battle ax, or battle-ax) is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were deployed two-handed.

What does a battle-axe look like?

The battle axe had a crescent-shaped blade which measured about 25 cm (10 inches) between the upper and lower points of its broad cutting edge. A blow could apply tremendous force. The battle axe struck with force could apply significant injury to a knight in armor.

What is a great AXE?

A greataxe is a military two-handed melee weapon in the axe weapon group. A greataxe has high crits, dealing an extra 1d12 damage at levels 1-10, 2d12 damage at levels 11-20, or 3d12 damage at level 21-30, on a critical hit.

What's the difference between a great AXE and a battle-axe?

Description. The greataxe was a large, heavy battleaxe with a double-bladed head. The shaft was usually constructed of stout wood and longer than even a dwarven waraxe, with about half that length being just the grip alone.

Why is it called a battleaxe block?

They are named for their distinct L-shape, which is said to look like a battle axe, hammer, hatchet or flagpole from above. Battle axe blocks are often the result of property developers subdividing a long block of land widthwise, with the rear section becoming a battle axe block.

Who used battle-axes?

The Romans used the battle-axe. Roman infantry soldiers used a weapon, the pilum. The pilum was a heavy spear, used for thrusting or throwing. The iron head was leaf-shaped and two to three feet long.

What does halberd mean in English?

Definition of halberd

: a weapon especially of the 15th and 16th centuries consisting typically of a battle-ax and pike mounted on a handle about six feet long.

What kind of axe did Vikings use?

The medieval Norsemen used two common types of axe: the long axe and the hand axe. Axes from the early Viking era had cutting edges 3 to 6 inches long, while later on in the Viking age, the axes used became much larger. Some broad-axes, for example, had crescent shaped edges 9 to 18 inches long!

What was the medieval battle-axe used for?

A battle-axe was used in hand-to-hand fighting or could be hurled as a missile. The wooden handle could be as long as 150 cm (5 feet). The crescent-shaped blade measured about 25 cm (10 inches) between the upper and lower points of its broad cutting edge.

Did Vikings actually throw axes?

Just about every axe they forged was single headed. Vikings most commonly carried sturdy axes that could be thrown or swung with head-splitting force. The Mammen Axe is a famous example of such battle-axes, ideally suited for throwing and melee combat. An axe head was mostly wrought iron, with a steel cutting edge.

How heavy is a medieval axe?

Axes designed for warfare ranged in weight from just over 0.5 kg to 3 kg (1 to 6 pounds), and in length from just over 30 cm to upwards of 1.5 m (1 to 5 feet), as in the case of the Danish axe or the sparth axe. Cleaving weapons longer than 1.5 m would arguably fall into the category of polearms.

How big is a Greataxe?

Axe head measurements: 35, 1 cm x 22cm.

What was the most common Viking weapon?

The spear was the most common weapon of the Viking warrior. They consisted of metal heads with a blade and a hollow shaft, mounted on wooden shafts of two to three metres in length, and was typically made from ash wood.

What is a seax knife?

'Seax' is the generic Old English word for knife, but is used by archaeologists to describe the larger iron single-edged knives which first appear in Anglo-Saxon graves of the seventh century.

What is the Viking word for warrior?

Cognate with Old English dreng (“warrior; soldier”).

What did a real Viking AXE look like?

In the early part of the Viking era, the cutting edge was generally 7 to 15cm (3-6in) long, while later in the Viking age, axes became much larger. Breið-øx (broad axes) had crescent shaped edges 22 to 45cm (9-18in) long. The cutting edge of the largest of the axe heads shown to the right is 22cm (9in) long.

Did Vikings fight with 2 axes?

Vikings, according to the sagas, used two weapons. Sometimes they hid the ax behind the shield. So, as you grip the shield here, you can hold the ax and the shield handle here, so it wouldn't be seen by the opponent.

Is a halberd an axe?

halberd, also spelled halbert or halbard, weapon consisting of an ax blade balanced by a pick with an elongated pike head at the end of the staff. It was usually about 1.5 to 1.8 metres (5 to 6 feet) long. The halberd was an important weapon in middle Europe from the 14th through the 16th century.