# What are these odd scissor-type things? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093 "2017-06-28T22:41:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/1 "2017-06-28T22:41:05Z")
From a Facebook post on my feed, someone is trying to figure out what [this scissors-type object](https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/19467679_10214593776785077_297606407402808426_o.jpg?oh=282ab847e39b58588b3f1bda12bd9695&oe=59DD55CC) might be. My only guess is maybe for cigars? They came across it from some departed relative’s belongings in Ohio. It looks like there’s perhaps a maker’s mark of a crown and dollar sign there, too. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/2 "2017-06-28T22:53:18Z")
Small limb amputation? One of Joseph Mengele’s lost evil artifacts? It’s definitely a creepy looking cutter. I got it, toe nail clipper for T-Rex? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/3 "2017-06-28T23:06:24Z")
It’s a cigar cutter. Doesn’t look very notable, might catch a few on eBay or someplace. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/4 "2017-06-28T23:59:18Z")
It does look like a cigar cutter to me. The guillotine type seems to be more common these days. ---
**Author:** ![Sasquatch\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@Sasquatch\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sasquatch_1)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/5 "2017-06-29T00:16:09Z")
Could be a dehorning tool. Ones for adult animals will be a lot heavier, but young animals (calves, goat kids, etc) are sometimes dehorned with similar scissors type cutters. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/6 "2017-06-29T00:22:37Z")
Could also be used on animals ,eg horses hoofs , sheeps fleece , its just a curved blade suitable to cut a hard rounded object … as flat blades tend to push the rounded object rather than cut it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/7 "2017-06-29T00:40:12Z")
> [@Sasquatch](#): > > Could be a dehorning tool. Ones for adult animals will be a lot heavier, but young animals (calves, goat kids, etc) are sometimes dehorned with similar scissors type cutters. Would those have enough leverage? Looks like the dehorning tools I see online have a much, much longer span from the pivot point to the handle. I know you said for younger animals, but this seems to have very little leverage to cut anything too hard. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/8 "2017-06-29T00:58:47Z")
Image search “cigar scissors” and you’ll see many almost identical to this. ---
**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:** [June 29, 2017, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/9 "2017-06-29T01:02:17Z")
Looks like a mohel’s tool. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/10 "2017-06-29T01:10:45Z")
Anybody who takes a “what’s this?” picture without including a ruler or similar to indicate scale deserves only joke answers. I realize the OP isn’t the photographer so he’s not the target of ire. **pulykamell** , I suggest you tell the Facebook fool it’s a crimping tool for the umbilical cord / inflation tube of a WWI German blimp. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/11 "2017-06-29T01:20:22Z")
I vaguely remembered a cutting tool called nips, but a Google image search for “old nips” was especially unproductive. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/12 "2017-06-29T01:43:09Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Looks like a mohel’s tool. :eek: That actually was one of the (I assume) joke suggestions of what this might be. I guessed cigar snips (or whatever they’re called), and a couple of others seem to think that’s what it is. Someone guessed a candle wick trimmer or hole cutters for fabric. As for scale, I assume this is an object about 6 inches long, 8 at the very most, judging by context clues in the photo. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/13 "2017-06-29T01:44:07Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Looks like a mohel’s tool. :eek: Slash: Calamari cutter. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/14 "2017-06-29T23:21:19Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I vaguely remembered a cutting tool called nips, but a Google image search for “old nips” was especially unproductive. After child-bearing age, they don’t need to be. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/15 "2017-06-29T23:38:40Z")
Lorena Bobbitt’s favorite toy? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-odd-scissor-type-things/790093/16 "2017-06-30T01:19:34Z")
Back in the early '80s as a millwright apprentice, we used that exact style of cutter to sever rope packing for centrifugal pump stuffing boxes.