Meaning
A folding pocket knife with a ratcheting lock — the classic 'German ratchet' knife, carried as an everyday tool for farm and work and, in the wrong hands, a weapon. Slipped into the pocket and flicked open, the ratchet is a familiar item in rural and street life alike, used to cut cane, peel fruit, and do a hundred small jobs, but also notorious in accounts of quarrels and stabbings. Practical and ever-present, it sits between honest tool and ready weapon, its reputation shaped by both.
Examples
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Him carry a ratchet knife fi cut di rope.
He carries a ratchet knife to cut the rope.
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Di ole man peel him orange wid him ratchet.
The old man peels his orange with his ratchet knife.
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A German ratchet fold up neat inna yuh pocket.
A German ratchet folds up neatly in your pocket.
Origin
Named for the ratcheting lock mechanism of the folding knife; the 'German ratchet' brand became the generic name.
How it’s used
A folding utility/pocket knife (also a weapon). Distinct from American slang 'ratchet' (trashy). Compare 'machete', 'skeng'.