cold steel
Sword or bayonet
Cold steel refers to bladed weapons—swords, knives, bayonets—as opposed to firearms.
The phrase emphasizes the physical, close-quarters nature of edged combat: The infantry fixed bayonets and prepared to give the enemy cold steel.
It appears in military contexts and historical fiction, often with a sense of brutal directness.
- saberCurved military sword
- bayonetRifle-mounted stabbing blade
- fixed bayonetBlade mounted on firearm
- edged weaponTool with sharpened margin
- weaponryMilitary equipment collectively
sharp · cutting edge · bushido · blade · metalwork · battlefield · blood and iron · knife · forged · warrior · samurai · martial · dagger · chivalry · rapier · cutlass · trench knife · medieval warfare
- steel productsbillet, bloom, ingot, slab, sheet metal
cold steelhot iron
Heated metal for smoothing
molten metal · bare hands · living tissue · wood · organic matter
cold steelaerial bombardment
Attack by aircraft-dropped explosives
drone strikes · cyber warfare · diplomatic resolution · surrender
cold, steel, colder, coldest, coldly, coldness, steely, steels, steeled