【明報專訊】A sword is not simply a blade with a hilt. It can have many different shapes in different cultures.

◆Odachi

Odachi (大太刀) is a sword of considerable length which was used in ancient Japan especially when there was a war. The length helps the warriors reach faraway opponents.(photo.1)

◆Shotel

Known for its curved blade, the shotel is from Ethiopia (埃塞俄比亞), a country in East Africa. The swordsman could easily make use of the hook-like blade to pull the enemies off their horse. (photo.2)

◆balisword

The Philippines is the birthplace of the balisword, a form of balisong (蝴蝶刀), which is a sort of weapon in Filipino martial arts. It looks like a giant pocket knife, and is such a big size that people won't use it to play tricks. (photo.3)

■Glossary

blade (n) 刃

hilt (n) 柄

warrior (n) 武士

opponent (n) 對手

[Smarties' Power English 第232期]