# What's the word for this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988 "2003-12-25T07:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Z\_Al](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/41988e/32.png) [@Z\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Z_Al)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/1 "2003-12-25T07:53:29Z")
A knife, or a blade is sharp. A needle is…?? It doesn’t sound very good to saw that a needle is sharp. Pointy isn’t that good either, because when I say “this dagger is sharper than that”, it doesn’t sound the same when i say “this needle is pointier than that.” So what’s the “sharpness” equvilent for a needle? ---
**Author:** ![Cek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Cek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cek)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/2 "2003-12-25T08:07:08Z")
Maybe it is more cuspidated? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/3 "2003-12-25T08:23:41Z")
Pointy. That gets your message across, doesn’t it? But needles can be blunt. Why not sharp? Or, “careful, friend, there’s a needle over there.” That you use the word “needle” to describe the object in question should be enough to make someone look out. If not, then they deserve to be stuck. ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/4 "2003-12-25T08:24:00Z")
Have you thought about “pointy” or “sharp”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Z\_Al](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/41988e/32.png) [@Z\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Z_Al)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/5 "2003-12-25T08:38:03Z")
Aren’t people reading the post? ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/6 "2003-12-25T09:13:09Z")
Maybe you’re making the Q unanswerable. Pointy, piercing, and sharp seem to do the job for most of us. Perhaps you should try for sounds of impact. There are lots of those with which the people here can help you. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/7 "2003-12-25T12:50:52Z")
Sewing needles at least, are sharp: > [@](#): > > **Sharp Point Needle** > It is sharper than the universal point and more slender through the shaft. Some companies use the term microtex on the label. Use it when sewing on finely woven fabrics, edgestitching on woven fabrics, heirloom stitching on very fine fabrics and sewing on synthetic suede. It is a good choice for smooth stitches on chintz. [What You Ought To Know About Sewing Machine Needles](http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/textiles/nf250.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/8 "2003-12-25T14:04:36Z")
You can refer to a needle as “fine” to express its thin-ness. The thin-ness, of course, is what allows easier penetration (assuming the needle isn’t _so_ fine that is bends) since the force is delivered to a smaller cross-section. Precedent is established by coarse, medium and fine penpoints, which are similar in shape to needles; cylindrical and tapered to a point. ---
**Author:** ![Astroglide](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6de8d8/32.png) [@Astroglide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroglide)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/9 "2003-12-25T14:23:12Z")
Lots of needles are measured by “gauge”, which correponds to the diameter. > [@](#): > > Pointy isn’t that good either, because when I say “this dagger is sharper than that”, it doesn’t sound the same when i say “this needle is pointier than that.” > > So what’s the “sharpness” equvilent for a needle? Based on the above, I would say this needle has a smaller gauge than that needle. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/10 "2003-12-25T16:04:59Z")
Gauge is fine, as far as it goes. That denotes the size of the shaft, consequent to how big a hole it will make when inserted into the fabric. If you put a needle under a magnifier, you’d see that it does have blades like a knife. Needles are manufactured for different fabrics, there are special leather and denim needles, which have eyes and scarfs[the channels the thread lies in] of differing sizes. Topstitching and metallic needles to allow thicker or more fragile threads to be used. It has been noted that needles can be blunt, as some are manufactured that way, rather than becoming blunt with use. Ballpoint needles, used for sewing knitted[as oppsed to woven] fabrics have a slightly rounded point so as to pass between the fibres instead of actually piercing them. The integrity of the fibres are maintained this way. The needles are, however, still somewhat sharp. There are needles called “sharps”, for hand and machine use. A needle becomes duller[more blunt] with repeated use, so I suppose the correct term is a new needle is sharp[on it’s way to being dull, after a certain amount of use] Never actually thought about it until I read the OP. Poke yourself with an out-of-the-package needle, and believe me, the first thought that springs to mind is, “Damn, that was sharp!” ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/11 "2003-12-25T17:03:03Z")
\*\*[acuate](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=acuate) \*\* “This needle is more acuate than that.” ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/12 "2003-12-25T17:15:32Z")
“needly?” ---
**Author:** ![fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/67e7ee/32.png) [@fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fire)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/13 "2003-12-25T17:23:21Z")
My vote is with sharper. Needles used in the medical field are hollow. The ‘pointy’ end isn’t really pointy, it’s beveled, if you look at the end under magnification, you will see that it’s sharp, like a knife blade. The only difference is that the blade is circular instead of straight. ---
**Author:** ![parlo\_americano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b19c9b/32.png) [@parlo\_americano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parlo_americano)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/14 "2003-12-25T19:26:00Z")
A needle is pointed. That does not imply it is sharp or dull but speaks about the shape itself. \quiltguy\ mentioned that one would think it was sharp first when pricked. But that adjective is correct only after finding out that the pointed needle is sharp. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/15 "2003-12-25T23:14:03Z")
Blunt Pointed Needle Pointed Finely pointed Sharp Point Very Sharp Point * * * “Beware of the Cog” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Green\_Feather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@The\_Green\_Feather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Green_Feather)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/16 "2003-12-25T23:42:45Z")
Perhaps you should describe a needles sharpness by the result of an accident or missuse: Be careful with that needle, it’s a screamer! or That needle’s a real yowller. :rolleyes: Maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/17 "2003-12-26T00:14:22Z")
The needle is keen. The needle has a fine edge. It is keen. Same for razors. ---
**Author:** ![Z\_Al](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/41988e/32.png) [@Z\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Z_Al)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-word-for-this/220988/18 "2003-12-26T01:55:33Z")
Thanks all. I didn’t think of acuate before, and keen is excellent as well.