Is it appropriate to keep one's knife in one's lap?

[hoosierdoc]

Yesterday while updating a patient there was a gruff looking significant other in the room. He had his knife resting in his lap rather than on his belt, in a pocket, etc. it was a folding knife and the blade was not exposed, but it seemed like it was on display.

what does social etiquette say regarding knives? It made me wonder if it was placed in a position to be noticed.

 

[UNCLE HARLEY]

Maybe he had a hole in his pocket.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Didn't answer my question, but i'll follow with:

wife's purse?
other three pockets?
clip to pants?

 

[goinggreyfast]

I don't know what the issue is. I do that at the dentist all the time.

 

[danmdevries]

One of those jackholes that gets off on trying to intimidate and feels the folks he requested help from are the enemy because they're furnishing his infos to the man.

Of course it was put there to be noticed.

 

[jd4320t]

Was he messing with it? Maybe he had it out, got sidetracked and then forgot to put it away.

 

[Trigger Time]

I forget to put mine away sometimes.

he was probably trying to intimidate or look cool whatever that means

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

If he had it out (to cut a tag, clean fingernails, etc, etc, etc) and then sat down - may have been difficult to put back into a pocket.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

I usually carry mine open, biting down on the blade with my teeth throughout the day, like a pirate. Blade facing away, of course.

I get a few stares.

 

[jsharmon7]

I guess it depends on the context of the situation. I worked in a hospital for a few years and remember how the pillheads would try to intimidate staff into giving them painkillers. Or maybe he was messing with it while he waited and just put it in his lap momentarily.

 

[rhino]

I've used my knife and not put it away immediately many times in the past.

 

[TaunTaun]

I usually carry mine open, biting down on the blade with my teeth throughout the day, like a pirate. Blade facing away, of course.

I get a few stares.

I dub thee, Steve the Pirate!

 

[saleen4971]

there's a guy on our team called "Steve the Pirate?"

 

[eldirector]

Maybe he was doing something with it before you walked in the room (cleaning fingernails, cutting a thread on his sleeve, etc...), and intended to continue once you left?

Maybe we need to start an OC thread for knives?

 

[Expat]

I always carry a knife. I don't recall ever having gotten it out in a doctor/dentist waiting room...

 

[ashby koss]

I usually carry mine open, biting down on the blade with my teeth throughout the day, like a pirate. Blade facing away, of course.

I get a few stares.

Here is how I carry mine...

View attachment 29578

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

I'll bet folks were unusually quite and polite in the waiting room.

 

[Expat]

Maybe he was hoping you would have a grassy area to play mumbly peg...

 

[TB1999]

I dub thee, Steve the Pirate!

Dodge, duck, dip, dive, dodge.

 

[joslar15]

Yesterday while updating a patient there was a gruff looking significant other in the room. He had his knife resting in his lap rather than on his belt, in a pocket, etc. it was a folding knife and the blade was not exposed, but it seemed like it was on display.

what does social etiquette say regarding knives? It made me wonder if it was placed in a position to be noticed.

That's when ettiquette says you may think the following: Y"ou ask the significant other if he's ever considered therapy his pe$%le fixation. Also, in case you are considering using that Chinese POS you call a knife on me, let me assure you the disposable scalplel in my poceket, guided by my trained hands and spider-like reflexexes, you'd be bleeding out on the floor before you could say WTF??? Now, back towhat I was saying. Are we clear? After that I'll just go all Dexter on you with my Ultratech."

Then you say, "You look a little distracted, do I need to go over this with you again?"