jackknife

plural irregular

A noun referring to a large folding knife with one or more blades, or a type of dive where the diver bends at the waist to touch their ankles before straightening out.

• 🇪🇸Sustantivo que designa un gran cuchillo plegable con una o varias hojas, o un tipo de salto de trampolín en el que el saltador se dobla por la cintura para tocar los tobillos y luego se endereza.

1. Folding knife B1 formal

   A large knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle, typically used for camping or general utility.

   • He used his jackknife to cut the rope.
   • The scout always carried a jackknife in his pocket.
   • She opened the jackknife to whittle a piece of wood.

   🇪🇸Navaja plegable

   Sinónimos: clasp knifepenknifepocketknife

2. Diving position B2 formal sport

   A type of dive in which the diver bends at the waist to touch their ankles before straightening out and entering the water.

   • She performed a perfect jackknife off the high board.
   • The coach taught him how to execute a jackknife dive.
   • His jackknife was the highlight of the diving competition.

   🇪🇸Salto de tijera (posición de buceo)

• jackknives plural form
• jackknives' possessive plural form
• jackknife's possessive singular form

A verb meaning to bend or fold sharply in the middle, like a jackknife; commonly used for vehicles (e.g., a truck jackknifing) or acrobatic dives.

• 🇪🇸Verbo que significa doblarse o plegarse bruscamente por el medio, como una navaja; se usa principalmente para vehículos (por ejemplo, un camión que se pliega en forma de acordeón) o para saltos acrobáticos en el agua.

1. Dive in a jackknife position B2 formal sport

   To dive into the water bending the body at the waist to form a right angle, then straightening before entering the water.

   • He jackknifed off the high board into the pool.
   • The diver practiced jackknifing from the three-meter platform.
   • She executed a perfect jackknife dive during the competition.

   🇪🇸clavado de tijera

   Sinónimos: pike

2. Fold or buckle suddenly B2 formal

   To bend or collapse in the middle, typically referring to a vehicle such as a truck or trailer folding sharply.

   • The truck jackknifed on the icy highway, blocking all lanes.
   • An accident occurred when the trailer jackknifed during a sudden stop.
   • The driver lost control and the rig jackknifed across the road.

   🇪🇸doblarse en ángulo (vehículo articulado)

   Sinónimos: bendbucklecollapsedouble overfold

   Antónimos: alignextendstraightenunfold

• jackknifed past participle
• jackknifed past simple
• jackknifing present participle
• jackknifes third person singular