Stiletto was used by anarchists as well as by members of various "Black Hand" (a method of extortion) organizations to assassinate Italian-Americans and others who either opposed the "Black Hand" or ignored its demands for blackmail. The "Black Hand" even established schools for training its members in the use of the stiletto. The emergence of fierce hand-to-hand combat in the trenches of World War I created a new need for stabbing weapons, resulting in the reappearance of the dagger and the stiletto. Many versions of these stabbing knives exist, some individually made by soldiers, while others were government-procured and authorized. On
Lisa Gets an "A" of the episode. Following its home video release, "Lisa Gets an "A"" received generally positive reviews from critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood of "I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide" described it as "A fabulously defining moment in Lisa's life, showing what happens if you let your guard slip." They continued by writing "What makes this work even more is the false ending which shows that everyone in Springfield is as adept at predicting Lisa's morality as the viewers are." They concluded their review by calling it "An absolutely inspired piece of comedy." Colin