knife switch

noun

, Electricity.

1. a form of air switch in which a moving element, usually a hinged blade, is placed between two contact clips.

knife switch

noun

1. an electric switch in which a flat metal blade, hinged at one end, is pushed between fixed contacts

Word History and Origins

Origin of knife switch¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Lucci was adept with a screwdriver but innocent of any physics knowledge; his particular pleasure was to throw the heavy knife switch that turned on the accelerator, an operation that delivered an electrical surge occasionally strong enough to knock out power to the lab, the campus, or even to the entire city of Berkeley.

From Literature

Amber No. 32 in fireplace on knife switch to be flickered when Celia throws letters and army list into fire.

From Project Gutenberg

Oliver's "Knife Switch Intuitive" is another interactive piece: an amalgam of steel, wood, brass, copper and electrical components that, at the press of a button, sends flamelike lights traveling up three dark glass tubes.

From Seattle Times

One of the main switches for the reactor at Obninsk is a double-pole, single-throw knife switch, a device that now turns up in the U.S. only in the laboratory scenes of Frankenstein movies.

From Time Magazine Archive

The switch S is a small knife switch.

From Project Gutenberg