# Sharpness question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910 "2015-11-18T19:53:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/21 "2015-11-19T06:09:09Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > šŸ˜• Huh? I had to do some googlizing to figure out what everybodyā€™s talking about here. It appears that the more correct spelling is mandoline as opposed to the _mandolin_ which, suitably employed, could be used as an hardboiled-egg-slicer I suppose. I was about to suggest that if his mandolin is always sharp, heā€™s not tuning it correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/22 "2015-11-19T09:41:41Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I was about to suggest that if his mandolin is always sharp, heā€™s not tuning it correctly. Actually, **DrFidelius** hints at this in Post #3, and **digs** goes into more detail at Post #13. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/23 "2015-11-19T10:32:52Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Thereā€™s an excellent reason, surely, which is to avoid the confusion that Senegoid suffered? > > As for this being a non-American usage, if _mandoline_ is good enough for Martha Stewart (and it is), what true American can deny its authentic Americanity? > > _Mandoline_ in the sense of a vegetable slicer is a recent (post-WWII) import from French, and American English I think has a greater tendency to preserve the Frenchness of French imports than does BrE. So, e.g., Americans eat filets, and use a French pronunciation, while the the Brits eat fillets, and pronounce them to rhyme with ā€œmilletā€. > > So I would have thought that retaining the final _-e_ in _mandoline_ is (a) sensible, and (b) not at all foreign to the conventions of AmE. In my long and storied life never have I heard of anyone confused by this subject before. The word is ā€˜mandolinā€™ in American, pronounced and spelled that way except for the makers of the devices who want to put a bit of snobbery into their product. Note that the Queen of All Snobs endorses the horribly incorrect spelling. Your ignorance indicates you likely have such misconceptions about other cooking devices named after musical instruments as well such as the xylophone and the slide whistle. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/24 "2015-11-19T10:55:55Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > In my long and storied life never have I heard of anyone confused by this subject before. But you have since, as harmonicamoon - a man presumably well used to adapting musical instrument nomenclature to other purposes - has also entered the thread to confess his puzzlement. So the fact that you have never come across this problem before does not mean that it isnā€™t widespread. For all we know, the aisles of musical instrument dealers up and down the land may be thronged with anxious cooks seeking vainly for vegetable-slicers. And the nationā€™s kitchenware emporia may ring with the sobs of frustrated musicians. Wonā€™t somebody \*please \*think of the children? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/25 "2015-11-19T12:31:48Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > With respect to the above, and to the OPā€™s original question: The blades (as shown in the picture that **UDS** linked a few posts up) look very elaborate, and I would think theyā€™d be extremely difficult to sharpen if they didnā€™t stay sharp on their own. > > ETA: Where are these things sold, besides at County Fairs? I donā€™t recall ever seeing one in the kitchenware aisle at the market. Are they found at more specialized stores like Bed Bath & Beyond (which I think carries kitchenware too)? Or other higher-end cutlery stores? (More ETA: Hey, at least now that I know what itā€™s called, I could ask someone.) Theyā€™re sold at any serious kitchenware store like Sur La Table, as well as on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/26 "2015-11-19T14:00:04Z")
I know ā€œme toosā€ arenā€™t terribly appreciated, but this bluegrass nerd experienced the same dissonance. I clicked on the thread assuming it was about blades, but upon reading the first post thought it was apparently about tuning instruments. Weā€™ve got the slicer thing in a kitchen cabinet - my wife bought it a couple of years ago, but we never really found a reason to use it. Pretty much the same explanation for the instrument thing in the upstairs closet! šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/27 "2015-11-19T14:14:33Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Theyā€™re sold at any serious kitchenware store like Sur La Table, as well as on Amazon. Make sure whoever helps you is named ā€œWā€. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/28 "2015-11-19T16:22:48Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > In my long and storied life never have I heard of anyone confused by this subject before. The word is ā€˜mandolinā€™ in American, pronounced and spelled that way except for the makers of the devices who want to put a bit of snobbery into their product. [. . .] Your ignorance indicates you likely have such misconceptions about other cooking devices named after musical instruments as well such as the xylophone and the slide whistle. Ah, but my erstwhile ignorance was far more encompassing than you understand. Prior to this thread, in all my life I had only seen this device once or twice, and only at County Fairs, and I had never seen or heard any mention of what they were called. (Hence, my remark above that I now know how to ask about them at stores.) I never previously knew these devices by _any_ spelling. ETA: And I _still_ donā€™t know what kind of dishes I might prepare using a xylophone, slide whistle, or any common woodwind. Stringed instruments, like a mandolin or a harp, are a little more obvious, as they can be used to slice hard-boiled eggs or [other carbon-based biological units](http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2015/01/02/don-martin-the-moving-men). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/29 "2015-11-19T16:58:46Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Ah, but my erstwhile ignorance was far more encompassing than you understand. Prior to this thread, in all my life I had only seen this device once or twice, and only at County Fairs, and I had never seen or heard any mention of what they were called. (Hence, my remark above that I now know how to ask about them at stores.) I never previously knew these devices by _any_ spelling. > > ETA: And I _still_ donā€™t know what kind of dishes I might prepare using a xylophone, slide whistle, or any common woodwind. Stringed instruments, like a mandolin or a harp, are a little more obvious, as they can be used to slice hard-boiled eggs or [other carbon-based biological units](http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2015/01/02/don-martin-the-moving-men). Good old Don Martin. Thanks, I remember that cartoon from the mists of my past. Obviously the xylophone is used to tenderize meat and the slide whistle is for basting. Woodwinds are less common in the kitchen save for the bass clarinet, more commonly known as a ladle. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/30 "2015-11-19T18:01:53Z")
Thatā€™s weird. I would expect that, over time, a mandolin would tend to go flatā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/31 "2015-11-19T19:21:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > In my long and storied life never have I heard of anyone confused by this subject before. I suppose you could count me as additional evidence for your position, as I have never encountered confusion on this issue before. I also had never encountered the word ā€œmandolineā€ before, and had never before heard or seen the word ā€œmandolinā€ used to refer to anything but a musical instrument. That there is a word at all for those slicers that make julienne fries is news to me. Wikipedia says that word is ā€œmandolineā€. I only came in here to learn what the OP meant by his mandolin staying sharp while his knives didnā€™t. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/32 "2015-11-19T19:23:30Z")
Iā€™m surprised no one has mentioned, to avoid confusion this device is often called a ā€œmandolin slicerā€ rather than just a mandolin. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/33 "2015-11-19T19:26:17Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > Iā€™m surprised no one has mentioned, to avoid confusion this device is often called a ā€œmandolin slicerā€ rather than just a mandolin. Why would anyone want to slice up a mandolin? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/34 "2015-11-19T19:45:00Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Why would anyone want to slice up a mandolin? Why we all still harping on this? ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/35 "2015-11-19T20:01:40Z")
Calm down you guys, thereā€™s no need for violins over a simple question. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/36 "2015-11-19T20:30:51Z")
Just as aside, Iā€™ve noticed the same thing with my bow saws. Theyā€™re just your basic garden tool, but theyā€™ve got some kind of wonder steel that will zip through log after log and stays sharp. Meanwhile, Iā€™ve got pocket knives that need sharpening if I use them to open the mail. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/37 "2015-11-19T21:05:56Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > We have one from Pampered Chef and it works well. The blade on it is **dangerously sharp** ā€¦ My co-workerā€™s wife cut off a fingertip using a mandoline. Lots and lots of blood and they couldnā€™t re-attach the bit that was cut off. They did reconstructive surgery using some kind of cellulose material. The wound is tricky enough that sheā€™s not allowed to replace the bandages by herselfā€“she has to go to the hospital to have it done by nurses. Not fun. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/38 "2015-11-19T21:09:16Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Just as aside, Iā€™ve noticed the same thing with my bow saws. Theyā€™re just your basic garden tool, but theyā€™ve got some kind of wonder steel that will zip through log after log and stays sharp. Meanwhile, Iā€™ve got pocket knives that need sharpening if I use them to open the mail. The solution is obvious: Use your bow saw for cutting logs, vegetables, and opening the mail. Dump the pocket knives. @ **blondebear** : Yikes. Now Iā€™m not so sure if I want one of them thar thangs. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/39 "2015-11-19T21:14:54Z")
Which is why I do the slicing instead of the wife and wear Kevlar gloves and use the food-gripper thingy whilst doing said slicing. Sucker is wicked-sharp. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910/40 "2015-11-19T21:35:16Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Why we all still harping on this? Speaking of harps. They are a big-ass mandoline, eh? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sharpness-question/737910.md?page=3)