Scissors

Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Pp-vandalism Template:More citations needed

A pair of standard scissors

Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, cloth, rope, and wire. A large variety of scissors and shears all exist for specialized purposes. Hair-cutting shears and kitchen shears are functionally equivalent to scissors, but the larger implements tend to be called shears. Hair-cutting shears have specific blade angles ideal for cutting hair. Using the incorrect type of scissors to cut hair will result in increased damage or split ends, or both, by breaking the hair. Kitchen shears, also known as kitchen scissors, are intended for cutting and trimming foods such as meats.

Inexpensive, mass-produced modern scissors are often designed ergonomically with composite thermoplastic and rubber handles.

TerminologyEdit

The noun scissors is treated as a plural noun and therefore takes a plural verb (e.g., these scissors are).<ref>Template:Cite Merriam-Webster</ref> Alternatively, the tool is referred to by the singular phrase a pair of scissors.<ref>Template:Cite Collins Dictionary</ref> The word shears is used to describe similar instruments that are larger in size and for heavier cutting.<ref>Template:Cite Merriam-Webster</ref>

HistoryEdit

File:汉代剪刀.jpg

Han dynasty scissors

File:Shears MET 29I E08R4.jpg

CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early manufactureEdit

The Hangzhou Zhang Xiaoquan Company in Hangzhou, China, has been manufacturing scissors since 1663.<ref name="Sudworth">Template:Cite news</ref>

Pivoted scissors were not manufactured in large numbers until 1761, when Robert Hinchliffe of Sheffield produced the first pair of modern-day scissors made of hardened and polished cast steel. His major challenge was to form the bows; first, he made them solid, then drilled a hole, and then filed away metal to make this large enough to admit the user's fingers. This process was laborious, and apparently Hinchliffe improved upon it in order to increase production. Hinchliffe lived in Cheney Square (now the site of Sheffield Town Hall), and set up a sign identifying himself as a "fine scissor manufacturer". He achieved strong sales in London and elsewhere.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Modern manufacturing regionsEdit

ChinaEdit

The vast majority of global scissor manufacturing takes place in China. As of 2019, China was responsible for 64.3% of worldwide scissors exports. When combined with Chinese Taipei exports, this rises to 68.3%.<ref>The Observatory of Economy Complexity, trade data for scissors as of 2019 Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 11/29/21.</ref>

The Hangzhou Zhang Xiaoquan Company, founded in 1663, is one of the oldest continuously operating scissor manufacturers in the world. The company was nationalized in 1958 and now employs 1500 people who annually mass-produce an estimated seven million pairs of inexpensive scissors that retail for an average of US$4 each.<ref name="Sudworth"/>

FranceEdit

In the late 14th century, the English word "scissors" came into usage. It was derived from the Old French word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, which referred to shears.<ref>(2014-11-03) "History 101: Scissors" Template:Webarchive, Daily KOS. Retrieved 12-04-21</ref>

There are several historically important scissor-producing regions in France: Haute-Marne in Nogent-en Bassigny, Châtellereault, Thiers and Rouen.<ref>"Re-editions of Vintage Scissors" Template:Webarchive, Sajou Blog. Retrieved 01-06-22</ref> These towns, like many other scissor-producing communities, began with sabre, sword and bayonet production, which transitioned to scissors and other blades in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.<ref>Official Website for Tourism in Champagne-Ardenne Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 01-06-22</ref>

Thiers, in the Puy-de-Dôme department of Auvergne, remains an important centre of scissor and cutlery production. It is home to both the Musée de la Coutellerie, which showcases the town's 800-year history of blade-making,<ref>Alastair (2020-01-12) "Thiers: Cutlery Capital of France" Template:Webarchive. Mechtravller. Retrieved 01-06-22</ref> as well as Coutellia, an industry tradeshow that advertises itself as one of the largest annual gatherings of artisanal blade-makers in the world.

GermanyEdit

Germany was responsible for manufacturing just under 7% of global scissors exports in 2019.<ref>The Observatory of Economy Complexity, trade data for scissors as of 2019. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 12/04/21.</ref> Often called "The City of Blades", Solingen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, has been a center for the manufacturing of scissors since medieval times. At the end of the 18th century it's estimated that there were over 300 scissorsmiths in Solingen.<ref>Zautor, Capital (2019-04-13) "How the Knife Makers from Solingen Survived" Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 12/04/21</ref>

In 1995 the City of Solingen passed The Solingen Ordinance, an update to a 1930s law that decreed "Made in Solingen" stamps could only be applied to products almost entirely manufactured in the old industrial area of Solingen. In 2019 this applied to approximately 150 companies making high-quality blades of all kinds, including scissors.<ref>Zautor, Capital (2019-04-13) "How the Knife Makers from Solingen Survived" Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 12/04/21</ref>

Friedrich Herder, founded in Solingen in 1727, is one of the oldest scissors manufacturers still operating in Germany.<ref>Friedrich Herder: Company History. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 12/04/21</ref>

ItalyEdit

File:Detatchable kitchen.jpg

Classic Italian-style kitchen scissors, often used to cut food. The two halves can be detached in order to be cleaned.

Premana, in Lecco Province, has its origins in ironworks and knife manufacturing beginning in the 16th century. In 1900 there were ten scissor manufacturing workshops, 20 in 1952 and 48 by 1960.<ref>Municipality of Premana: Economy. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 11/27/21.</ref> Today, Consorzio Premax, an industrial partnership, organizes over 60 local companies involved in the manufacture of scissors for global markets.<ref>Ecco Lecco Tourist Guide to Lecco Province: Premana. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 11/27/21.</ref> In 2019 Italy exported 3.5% of scissors manufactured globally.<ref>The Observatory of Economy Complexity, trade data for scissors as of 2019. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 12/04/21.</ref>

One of the oldest Premanese scissor manufacturing firms still in operation is Sanelli Ambrogio, which was founded in 1869.<ref>Ambrogio Sanelli: Company History. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 11/27/21.</ref>

JapanEdit

Scissormaking in Japan evolved from sword making in the 14th century.<ref>Sibert, Jake (2018-09-19) "See Why This Pair of Scissors Costs $35,000 USD" Template:Webarchive, HypeBeast Great Big Story. Retrieved 12-04-21.</ref> Seki, in Gifu Prefecture, was a renowned center of swordmaking beginning in the 1200s. After citizens were no longer permitted to carry swords, the city's blacksmiths turned to making scissors and knives.<ref>Visit Seki Official Guide, Gifu Prefecture. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 12/04/21</ref> There are many specialized types of Japanese scissors, but sewing scissors were introduced by American Commodore Matthew Perry from the United States in 1854.<ref>Kitajima Y., Kito K., Migaki M., Matsumuro K., Murata Y., Hamada H. (2015) Process Analysis of Manufacturing of Sewing Scissors by All Forging Process and Understanding of Its Sharpness. In: Duffy V. (eds) Digital Human Modeling. Applications in Health, Safety, Ergonomics and Risk Management: Human Modeling. Template:Webarchive DHM 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 9184. Springer, Cham.</ref>

The Sasuke workshop in Sakai City south of Osaka is run by Yasuhiro Hirakawa, a 5th generation scissorsmith. The company has been in operation since 1867.<ref>Ken (2019-12-27), "Sasuke: Witness the Art of Japanese Blacksmithing in Osaka" Template:Webarchive, Matcha Japan. Retrieved 12/04/21.</ref> Yasuhiro Hirakawa is the last traditional scissormaker in Japan, making scissors in the traditional style where the blades are believed to be thinner, lighter and sharper than European scissors.<ref>Kazue (2021-04-19) "Discovering Quality Japanese Scissors and Knives" Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 12-04-21</ref> In 2018 he was profiled in a documentary that featured a pair of his bonsai snips which retailed for US$35,000.<ref>Sibert, Jake (2018-09-19) "See Why This Pair of Scissors Costs $35,000 USD" Template:Webarchive, HypeBeast Great Big Story. Retrieved 12-04-21</ref>

SpainEdit

In Solsona, Spain, scissor manufacturing began in the 16th century. At the industry's peak in the 18th century there were 24 workshops, organized as the Guild of Saint Eligius, the patron saint of knife makers.<ref>Pallarès Solsona: Company History. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 11/27/21.</ref> By the mid-1980s there were only two, and by 2021, Pallarès Solsona, founded in 1917 by Lluìs and Carles Pallarès Canal, and still family-operated, was the town's sole remaining artisanal scissor manufacturer.<ref>"The Makers: Carving a Place in History" Template:Webarchive, Reste Journal. Retrieved 11/27/21</ref>

United KingdomEdit

Sheffield was home to the first mass production of scissors beginning in 1761. By the 19th century there were an estimated 60 steel scissor companies in Sheffield. However, since the 1980s, industry globalization and a shift towards cheaper, mass-produced scissors created price deflation that many artisanal manufacturers could not compete with. The Sheffield scissor industry consisted of just two local companies in 2021.<ref>Scissor-Making: Red List of Endangered Crafts Template:Webarchive, British Heritage Crafts Association. Retrieved 11/27/21</ref>

The two remaining Sheffield scissor manufacturers are William Whiteley, founded in 1760,<ref>William Whiteley: Heritage. Template:Webarchive Retrieved 12/04/21</ref> and Ernest Wright, which was established in 1902. Both now focus on high-end/niche crafting of "products for life" rather than mass production.<ref>Floyd, Charlie (2021-04-04) "Why Ernest Wright Scissors are so expensive" Template:Webarchive. Business Insider. Retrieved 11/27/21</ref> Between these two firms it is estimated that there are no more than ten "putter-togetherers" or "putters" who are the master-trained craftspeople responsible for high quality Sheffield scissor assembly.<ref>Scissor-Making: Red List of Endangered Crafts Template:Webarchive, British Heritage Crafts Association. Retrieved 11/27/21</ref> In 2020, Ernest Wright was recognized with the Award for Endangered Crafts by the British Heritage Crafts Association.<ref>Carpenter, Daniel (2020-10-08), "Winners of the 2020 Heritage Crafts Awards" Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 11/27/21</ref>

Right-handed and left-handed scissorsEdit

File:RH-LH sidebents.jpg

Left-handed (left) and right-handed (right) sidebent scissors

There are two varieties of left-handed scissors. Many common left-handed scissors (often called "semi"-left-handed scissors) simply have reversed finger grips. The blades open and close as with right-handed scissors, so that users tend to pull the blades apart as they are cutting. This can be challenging for craftspeople as the blades still obscure the cut. "True" left-handed scissors have both reversed finger grips and reversed blade layout, like mirror images of right-handed scissors.<ref>"What's the Difference Between Right- and Left-Handed Scissors?" Kim Griffin, Griffin Occupational Therapy Blog. https://www.griffinot.com/difference-left-handed-scissors/ Template:Webarchive, retrieved 11/27/21</ref> A left-handed person accustomed to using semi-left handed scissors may find using true left-handed scissors difficult at first, as they may have learned to rely heavily on the strength of their thumb to pull the blades apart vs. pushing the blades together in order to cut.<ref>"Do You Know – Left-Handed Scissors" Olive Branch Educators, https://www.obeducators.com/reflections/do-you-know-left-handed-scissors Template:Webarchive, retrieved 11/27/21</ref>

Some scissors are marketed as ambidextrous. These have symmetric handles so there is no distinction between the thumb and finger handles, and have very strong pivots so that the blades rotate without any lateral give. However, most "ambidextrous" scissors are in fact still right-handed in that the upper blade is on the right, and hence is on the outside when held in the right hand. Even if they cut successfully, the blade orientation will block the view of the cutting line for a left-handed person. True ambidextrous scissors are possible if the blades are double-edged and one handle is swung all the way around (to almost 360 degrees) so that what were the backs of the blades become the new cutting edges. {{#if:3978584 |[{{#ifeq:|uspto|http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=%7Chttps://patents.google.com/patent/US}}{{#iferror:{{#expr:3978584 }}|3978584}} U.S. patent {{#ifeq:Template:Replace|Template:Digits|Template:Replace|3978584}}] |{{US patent|123456|link text}}}} was awarded for true ambidextrous scissors.

Specialized scissors and shearsEdit

Specialized scissors and shears include:

Gardening, agriculture and animal husbandryEdit

Type	Image	Description/purpose
Hedge trimmers	File:Taille haie.jpg	for trimming hedges
Grass shears	File:Gardena-Grasschere klassisch.jpg	for trimming grass
Averruncators	File:Averruncator.png	for trimming high branches
Pruning shears or secateurs	File:Secateur ouvert.jpg	for trimming small branches
Loppers	File:Astschere.jpg	for cutting through large branches
Blade shears	File:BladeShears.jpg	for cutting an animal's fleece to harvest wool

Food and drugEdit

Type	Image	Description/purpose
Kitchen scissors or kitchen shears	File:Kitchen scissors.jpg	for food preparation and other purposes
Poultry shears	File:Gefligelschéier.jpg	to cut poultry
Cigar cutter	File:Cigar cutter.JPG	specialized scissors with concave blade edges to cut cigars

GroomingEdit

Type	Image	Description/purpose
Hair-cutting shears	File:Hair Cutting Scissors.jpg	for trimming hair
Thinning shears	File:Modellierschere.jpg	for thinning thick hair to avoid a bushy look
Hair clippers	File:Manual hair clippers.JPG	used by barbers, hairdressers, and pet groomers for cutting hair
Nail scissors	File:Nagelschere.jpg	for cutting nails
Nose scissors	File:Nose scissors.jpg	small scissors for nostril and ear hair

MetalworkEdit

Type	Image	Description/purpose
Tinner snips	File:Tin snips.jpg	for cutting through tin
Compound-action snips	File:Cortachapa.png	for cutting through aluminium and stainless steel
Pipe and duct snips		for cutting through stove pipe and ducting
Hydraulic cutters	File:Extrication cutter 1.jpg	for cutting heavy sheet metal, often in traffic collisions. Sometimes referred to by the genericized trademark "Jaws of Life".
Throatless shear	File:ThroatlessShear.jpg	for cutting complex shapes in sheet metal

MedicalEdit

Type	Image	Description/purpose
Trauma shears, or "tuff cuts"	File:Aa trauma shears.jpg	for use in emergency medical response and rescue to cut off clothing
Dissection scissors		for cutting flesh in dissection Template:Citation needed
Surgical scissors	File:Mayo scissors 02.jpg	for cutting flesh in surgery<ref name="FullerFuller2012">Template:Cite book</ref>
Suture scissors	File:Suture scissors on gray.png	for cutting sutures, the hook lifts the suture
Iris scissors		for ophthalmic surgery Template:Citation needed
Metzenbaum scissors	File:Metzenbaum scissors.jpg	for delicate surgeryTemplate:Citation needed
Tenotomy scissors	File:Tenotomy scissors.jpg	for delicate surgery<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Mayo scissors	File:Mayo surgical scissors.jpg	often for cutting fascia Template:Citation needed
Bandage scissors	File:Bandage Scissors.JPG	for cutting bandages<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

CeremonialEdit

Type	Image	Description/purpose
Ceremonial scissors	File:Joshua Kent, with the help of Col. Jay Silveria cut the ribbon and Carlos Mencia Kid Rock and Jessie James cut the ribbon to open new fitness stations at RAF Lakenheath.jpg	giant scissors used for ceremonial ribbon-cutting events Template:Citation needed

Sewing and clothes-makingEdit

Type	Image	Description/purpose
Crafting scissors	File:Paper trimmers.jpg	for cutting materials for crafts Template:Citation needed
Buttonhole scissors	File:Forbici da occhielli.jpg	for opening buttonholesTemplate:Citation needed
Dressmaker's shears	File:Tailors shears LH.jpg	for cutting fabric for dressmaking Template:Citation needed
Embroidery scissors	File:Embroidery scissors2022.jpg	for cutting fabric for embroidery Template:Citation needed
Pinking shears	File:Zackenschere.jpg	for cutting cloth leaving a sawtooth edgeTemplate:Citation needed
Tailor's scissors	File:Schere 18-19 Jh.jpg	for cutting through heavy-duty materials such as leather or multiple layers of fabricTemplate:Citation needed

In popular cultureEdit

Template:In popular culture Due to their ubiquity across cultures and classes, scissors have numerous representations across world culture.

ArtEdit

Numerous art forms worldwide enlist scissors as a tool/material with which to accomplish the art. For cases where scissors appear in or are represented by the final art product, see Commons:Category:Scissors in art.

FilmEdit

Dead Again is a 1991 film starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson in a thriller revolving around repressed memories of scissors.
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 film starring Johnny Depp as a young man who has hands made of multiple pairs of scissors.
Us is a 2019 psychological horror film directed by Jordan Peele about a family confronted by their scissor-wielding doppelgängers.

GamesEdit

The game rock paper scissors involves two or more players making shapes with their hands to determine the outcome of the game. One of the three shapes, 'scissors', is made by extending the index and middle fingers to mimic the shape of most scissors.
In the horror video game franchise Clock Tower, recurring antagonist Scissorman is a demonic serial killer with a giant pair of scissors.
An anthropomorphic pair of scissors appears as a boss in Paper Mario: The Origami King. Various additions of scissor related activity appear as well, such as a variation of rock paper scissors.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LiteratureEdit

Heinrich Hoffmann's 1845 children's book Struwwelpeter includes Die Geschichte vom Daumenlutscher ("The Story of the Thumb-Sucker") in which a child continues to suck his thumbs despite his mother's warnings about The Great Tall Scissorman.
"Save Your Scissors" – song by City and Colour.
The song "Scissors" by American Rock Band "Slipknot"

ProverbsEdit

Proverbs about scissors are found in many language communities.

"Dull scissors don't cut straight." English<ref>p. 527. Mieder, Wolfgang, Stewart Kingsbury, Kelsie Harder. 1992. A Dictionary of American Proverbs. Oxford University Press.</ref>
"An old bachelor is only half a pair of scissors." English<ref>p. 50. Christy, Robert. Proverbs, Maxims and Phrases of All Ages, Volume 1. Putnam. 1889.</ref>
"A man without a woman like half a scissors, that would not cut but scratch." Romanian<ref>p. 28. Bărbulescu, Elena. "Constructing Gender in Romanian Proverbs." Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai-Historia 57, no. Special (2012): 21-33.</ref>
"Scissors do not cut out the scissors' nail." Hungarian<ref>p. 22, Vargha, Katalin, and Anna T. Litovkina. "Punning in Hungarian anti-proverbs." The European Journal of Humour Research 1, no. 3 (2013): 15-25.</ref>
"A face shaped like petals of the lotus, a voice as cool as sandal, a heart like a pair of scissors, and excessive humility, these are the signs of a rogue." Sanskrit<ref>p. 445. Carr, Mark William.Sanskrit Proverbs. Asian Educational Services, 1999.</ref>
"Those who have scissors are many but those who sew are none." Pagu<ref>p. 333, Perangin-Angin, Dalan M., and Novita Dewi. "A study of Pagu proverbs: Saving an endangered language of North Halmahera." Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics 10, no. 2 (2020): 327-339.</ref>
"Spoon, fork, scissors, and lamp are not for little children." Volga German<ref>p. 56, Gabel, Marie. "Proverbs of Volga German settlers in Ellis County." Heritage of Kansas v.9 no.2-3:55-59, (2012).</ref>

SportEdit

The term 'scissor kick' may be found in several sports, including:

Scissor kick (strike), a generic martial arts term for any of a number of moves that may resemble the appearance or action of a pair of scissors.
Bicycle kicks in football are sometimes known as 'scissor kicks'.
Swimming strokes including the sidestroke incorporate a leg movement often known as a 'scissor kick'.

SuperstitionEdit

Scissors have a widespread place in cultural superstitions. In many cases, the details of the superstition may be specific to a given country, region, tribe, religion or even situation.

Africa
- In parts of North Africa, it was held that scissors could be used to curse a bridegroom. When the bridegroom was on horseback, the person enacting the curse would stand behind him with the scissors open and call his name. If the bridegroom answered to his name being called, the scissors would then be snapped shut and the bridegroom would be unable to consummate his marriage with his bride.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
North America
- United States
  - In New Orleans, some believed that putting an open pair of scissors underneath your pillow at night was a sound method for sleeping well, even if one is cursed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation