sickle
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sickle
An agricultural hand tool with a curved, crescent-shaped blade for cutting grass or grain.
Mit der Sichel schnitt der Gärtner das hohe Unkraut am Wegesrand.
The gardener cut the tall weeds along the roadside with the sickle.
The symbol of 'Hammer und Sichel' (hammer and sickle) is known internationally as a symbol of communism. The sickle represents the peasantry.
Die Flagge der Sowjetunion zeigte Hammer und Sichel.
The flag of the Soviet Union showed the hammer and sickle.
The meaning is usually easy to distinguish: If people are talking about agriculture, gardening, or tools, it refers to the hand tool. If people are talking about the sky, astronomy, or shapes, it refers to the crescent moon.
Der Bauer schärfte seine Sichel vor der Ernte.
The farmer sharpened his sickle before the harvest.
When 'Sichel' (sickle) refers to the tool, it is often combined with verbs like 'schneiden' (to cut), 'mähen' (to mow), or 'ernten' (to harvest). It is used to cut grass, grain, or weeds.
Früher ernteten die Bauern das Getreide mit der Sichel.
In the past, farmers harvested grain with a sickle.
In the figurative meaning, 'Sichel' (crescent) is almost always connected with the moon. Typical phrases are 'die Sichel des Mondes' (the crescent of the moon), 'eine schmale Sichel' (a narrow crescent), or 'die Mondsichel' (the crescent moon).
Man konnte nur die schmale Sichel des zunehmenden Mondes sehen.
You could only see the narrow crescent of the waxing moon.
scythe
'die Sense' and 'die Sichel' are both old tools for cutting grass or grain. The most important difference is in their size and use. A 'Sense' has a long handle and a long blade; you swing it with both hands over a larger area. A 'Sichel' is smaller and has a crescent-shaped blade; you hold it in one hand and tend to cut individual stalks or smaller amounts. The words can be confused because both have curved blades and are used in agriculture. When it is about mowing a large area in a meadow, 'Sense' fits better. When it is about a small hand tool, 'Sichel' is more precise.
Mit einer Sichel schnitt die Frau am Feldrand einige Halme ab.
With a sickle, the woman cut off a few stalks at the edge of the field.
Der Bauer schärft die Sense, bevor er die hohe Wiese mäht.
The farmer sharpens the scythe before mowing the tall meadow.