TikTok is all about weird trends, and the newest one in the town is the “Knife Rule”. As this superstition continues to invade the video-sharing platform, some are still wondering what this trend is all about. So what exactly is the “Knife Rule”? Explore all about this wacky trend below.
What Is The Knife Rule On TikTok?
It’s not only the military that’s got cool superstitions like “Three on a Match”. TikTok recently flooded with a wacky trend, called the “Knife Rule”, which is a superstition that says it’s bad luck to close a pocketknife that someone else has opened. This means that it’s better to give someone a pocket knife closed.
The trend sounds much like the courtesy of handing over someone a fork or a knife while the sharpened edge faces towards the giver. As the person receives the knife, they can open it, use it and return it closed with the blade firmly inside. But hey, isn’t that basic manners?
Wondering what knife we are referring to here? Well, the trend is all about a jackknife, also known as a folding knife or EDC or pocketknife, with one or more blades that fold into the handle. Ah, I just got reminded of that cool knife Ellie keeps all the time with her in “The Last of Us”.
When Did The Superstition Start?
Coming back to the “Knife Rule”, we aren’t sure when this superstition began, but the trend has been circling on the internet since the 2010s and is suddenly flooding TikTok in March 2023. The rule basically went viral on the video-sharing platform after a TikTok user, Blaise Mahon shared a clip, which garnered over 3.3 million views.
“Gave a girl an open knife and she gave it back closed. Sh*t hasn’t been the same since,” he wrote about the rule. Well, his comment section was instantly flooded with people expressing their awareness about the “Knife Rule”. One person wrote, “Real ones know if you open it you have to close it or it’s bad luck”.
Another chimed, “If anyone ever opens my knife they close them. That’s the rule.” Another person mentioned: “NEVER EVER EVER!!! Always give it back the same as you got it.” Many TikTok users expressed that they were taught this rule by their dads when they were young, and therefore, it appears to be a common superstition.
TikToker @lil.nichole also became a part of the trend as her video gained popularity on TikTok. “I learned what I call the knife rule from my brother and I believe it spoiled me,” she captioned the video. “Because now I will not open or close a knife when there’s a guy around.”
While most people agreed with the superstition, some didn’t see any point in the “knife rule” trend. “So like, question … why would u [hand] someone a pocketknife open? That seems like a hazard to me,” TikToker @nevaehxdanielle wrote. Well, can’t blame them right? As a matter of fact, it’s got more to do with manners than superstition.
Another joked, “Was looking for the one about it being bad luck to close a knife unless you opened it. I have a friend who would not even touch a knife I borrowed from him if it was open. Got so that every time I saw a pocket knife laying around I would open it and leave it. He finally got past that superstition when he ran out of knives he could use.”
More Knife Superstitions…
With a history as long as 2.6 million years, superstitions about knives can be found all over the world. Apart from the “knife rule”, here are some of the most interesting ones”:
- You don’t give a knife as a house-warming present otherwise your neighbour might turn into an enemy
- Place a knife under the bed during childbirth to ease the pain of labor. It is also said to keep evil away.
- A knife given as a gift from a lover means the love will end soon
- If a friend gifts you a knife, give your friend a penny. This turns the gift into a purchase to ensure a long-lasting friendship, because as the old superstition goes, “Never gift knives and shoes to a friend.”
- Don’t let knives cross at the table, it will result in a fight.
- It’s considered bad luck to close a pocket knife unless you were the one who opened it.
- You should always cut bread with a knife rather than break it with your hands. It’s said that your life will be broken otherwise.
- Never hand a knife directly to another person. It’s said this will cause the two of you to get into a fight.
- If you got a dull blade, it means you need a new sharpener.
Such superstitions have existed since the beginning of time. Apart from knives, people also believe in superstitions like, if a cat crossed your path, throw a slipper. This will help you chase a bad omen.
Some of the wackiest Indian superstitions include a black cat crossing the road symbolising bad luck, a crow cawing indicating that guests are arriving, drinking milk after eating fish causes skin diseases, seeing a mongoose symbolizes being very lucky, and itchy palms mean that money is coming your way.
The “Knife Rule” certainly reminded me of one of the long-standing military superstitions called “Three on a Match”, which was a purported superstition among soldiers during the Crimean War to World War II. It means that if three soldiers lit their cigarettes in the same match, one of the three would be killed or the man who was third in the match would be shot.
While it actually happened during the war, since then, it has been considered bad luck for three people to share a light from the same match. And why not, the war movies have adapted it well. When it comes to superstitions, are you also one of that people who denies believing in them, but secretly follows some of them?