Pinking shears/scissors

The verb to pink meaning to stab, pierce or prick dates from the 14th century and comes from the Latin pungere meaning the same thing. Hence, pinking shears are used for ‘stabbing’ or making ornamental holes in cloth. We get the word pungent from the same root because pungent once meant sharp or pointed but now the word is used to describe sharp smells and odours. Modern French and Spanish have piquer and picar from the same root. From this, it is easy to surmise what the picador does to the bull in the course of a bullfight.