what IS the difference between a cane and a walking stick, anyway?

The handle.

perhaps the length too.

Walking sticks are generally alive, while canes generally aren't.

to me, a "cane" has a curved handle. The ones pictured do not, so that's why I called them walking sticks. It seems to me from reading period romances, etc., that gentlemen carried walking sticks, or "sticks," too.

Canes are alive, too--that's what you call a "stalk" of bamboo, isn't it?

I was going to look this up in my mega dictionary at home, but forgot.

Hey, it's !

I think the difference is this: a walking stick is an aid to walking, and replaces the much older walking staff. The cane is not an aid for walking, it replaces the sword and also the officer's baton and is one of the fashion marks of a 'gentleman' it's a class indicator rather than a practical item.

Interestingly, when swords started to fall out of fashion, many canes had a sword set inside that cuold be drawn or flicked out of the cane for use in a sticky situation.

since when is a cane not an aid for walking? In current US usage (or, in my usage) a cane is for someone who has a limp or needs assistance in walking; and a walking stick is for hikers. That ornamental gentlemen's stick pictured is neither.

There are such things here as 'walking canes' but in general, a 'walking stick' is a stronger stick with a handle (either curved or whatever: like Dr House uses).

I'm not sure but I think the kind of stick hikers uses may have a different term here; but what you call a 'cane' we would usually call a walking stick. If I were to describe an old man who has trouble walking, I wouldn't say he walks with a cane, but that he walks with a stick, or a walking stick.

An antique dagger cane which Dana mentioned. It was handed down to me when my grandfather passed on. He also had a Civil War sword that I coveted dearly, but that went to a museum:(

Since we're talking British English. A cane refers to the fashion accessory type, a stick to the useful type. Full Stop. (period)

One of the great Zatoichi Films, "Zatoichi and Yojimbo" this is the only one I could find that had a decent clip of his sword walking staff, @ ~ 1:20 great sequence in the film, this is a bit truncated as I remember it.

In my vernacular a cane and a walking stick are very different. A cane is either a medical aid with a curved handle used for walking, or an ornamental accessory which is used for formal attire and is rarely used. (canes are about waste high)

A walking stick is a stick that can range in length from wast high to the jaw with less workmanship than the average can and has no handle.

Once the stick reached about temple high to just about an inch over the head it becomes a staff or bow( specificity a Korean staff, although ideal length of a Korean staff is from the ground to one's temple but a little extra length can be gotten away with)

When the height reaches beyond the one inch above the head,it becomes a long staff or English staff. Although typically this kind of staff is much taller than person usually about 6 inches to one foot taller. For instances my tapering red oak staff, which would be a long or English staff, is six foot tall ( about two meters) which is almost a full foot taller than I.

Out of curiosity, is English your first language, TK? If so, which type?

yet another Merkin/Brit language divide it seems.

http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.bl...nd-frames.html

ETA: and I realized I posted this (re: the cane v. walking stick) in the wrong thread; sorry.