Though I have heard the superstition about "selling," not giving, a knife, I prefer to see a different tradition as precedent: when a father gives his son a sword on becoming a commissioned officer, with every confidence that there will be no severing of the relationship and no expectation of compensation.
In a knife publication I remember seeing a drawing of a chipped edge, jagged knife with the caption "If a knife tried to cut our friendship it would look like this." I believe it would be sign of trust in a friendship to expect that no gift of a knife would jeopardize it.
"...the Code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules."
Captain Hector Barbossa
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