Sabring

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The action of opening a champagne bottle by striking off its top with a saber or similar blade in a single bold stroke
2. Opening a bottle of sparkling wine by using a saber or knife to sever the neck cleanly in one swift motion
3. The technique of removing a champagne bottle's top by striking it sharply with a blade to break it cleanly away

Etymology: Sabring is simply the present participle and gerund of "sabre," so its history is that of the verb's base word. The noun traveled a long way to reach English: it passed from Hungarian "szablya" into Polish "szabla," then into German "Säbel," and from there into French "sabre," which English borrowed. Along the way it picked up a family of cousins, including Russian "sablja" and Danish "sabel," all tracing back to the same curved cavalry blade. Because the word is a borrowing from Eastern Europe, its path into English ran through the armies of the Continent rather than through Latin or Greek, which is what makes it unusual among military vocabulary. To sabre something is therefore to strike or fight with that curved sword, and the "-ing" simply turns the action into an ongoing process.

Synonyms: slash, hack