The sickle is a traditional hand-held cutting implement featuring a sharply curved inside edge and a short wooden handle. The user grasps a bunch of stalks with one hand and draws the blade toward themselves to sever the stems. While largely replaced by mechanized mowers and combines, it remains in use for tight spaces, small plots, or delicate specialty crops.
Heard on the job
Grab a sickle and clear out those tall weeds around the base of the irrigation pump.
Also heard as
- reaping hook