Clippers are a handheld tool used to cut hair short and evenly. If you've ever gotten a buzz cut or had the back of your neck tidied up at the barbershop, you've felt clippers at work. They have a set of sharp, comb-like metal blades that vibrate back and forth rapidly, snipping hair as the barber guides them across your head.

Unlike scissors, which cut one snip at a time, clippers mow through hair quickly and uniformly, making them perfect for short styles or fading the sides of a haircut. Barbers attach different plastic guards to control how much hair gets cut: a shorter guard leaves hair closer to the scalp, while a longer guard leaves more length. When a barber asks what number you want on the sides, they're asking which guard to use.

Electric clippers were invented in the late 1800s and transformed barbershops, making haircuts faster and more consistent. Before that, barbers used hand-powered clippers that worked like squeezable scissors.

You'll also hear clippers used for tools that trim other things: nail clippers for fingernails, hedge clippers for bushes, and clippers for grooming dogs and horses.