knife-ear

noun

knife-ear

noun

Etymology From an allusion to the pointed ears common in fantasy depictions of elves. Popularised by Dragon Age: Origins (2009) and its subsequent use in the Dragon Age franchise. Possibly influenced by the earlier round-ear.

  • You've a lot of nerve, knife-ears. This'll go badly for you.2009 November 3, BioWare (developer), David Gaider (lead writer), Dragon Age: Origins, →OCLC, scene: wedding cutscene in the City Elf origin:
  • "Hard to believe the elves wiped out the Knights of Saint Augustine. Their captain was capable of summoning the angel, you know? How did a couple of knife-ears stand up to the Kingdom's strongest knights and an angel?”2020, 616th Special Information Battalion (trans. ZackZeal), Her Majesty's Swarm: Volume 1, unnumbered page
1 more example
  • "Get your ass in here. It's time you started acting like the chicano ork you are and not some pansy elf listening to Americano music by yourself all the time. That's what knife-ears do! Now get in here!"2022, O. C. Presley, Shadowrun: Kings of the Street, unnumbered pages
Coordinate terms
round-ear

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.