Swashbuckler

A swashbuckler is a term that currently refers to someone who fights with a sword in a competent manner. The commonly accepted etymology is that the word is a combination of the words "swash" and "buckler". There are two other competing etymologies: one states that a "swashbuckle" was a counterweight for a sword-belt, the other that the word describes the sound of a sword striking a buckler.

It usually refers to an actor who handles a sword during his performance, for example, Errol Flynn. Stage fighting has much in common with the art of fencing, where the idea is go through the motions of fighting without the sword touching the body.

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