![]() It is a translation from the French de cape et d'épée and Spanish de capa y espada ("of cloak and sword"). The metaphorical meaning of the phrase dates from the early 19th century. Both Marozzo and other masters such as Di Grassi also taught the use of the cloak with the rapier. Fighting this way was not necessarily seen as a first choice of weapons, but may have become a necessity in situations of self-defense if one were not carrying a sword, with the cloak being a common garment of the times that could be pressed into use as a defensive aid. ![]() Fencing master Achille Marozzo taught and wrote about this method of combat in his book, Opera Nova. ![]() ![]() The purpose of the cloak was to obscure the presence or movement of the dagger, to provide minor protection from slashes, to restrict the movement of the opponent's weapon, and to provide a distraction. Taken literally, the phrase could refer to using the cloak and dagger in historical European martial arts. In " The Knight's Tale", published around 1400, English poet Geoffrey Chaucer referred to "The smiler with the knife under the cloak". ![]() The term later came into use as a metaphor, referring to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery. " Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common in the Renaissance involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak. Achille Marozzo's 16th century manual of arms illustration of the Dagger and Cloak ![]()
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