Manually operated cutting pliers in which two hinged plier grips are spread apart by spring action. One of the plier grips has a fixture, whereas the other grip actuates a jaw movable relative to the fixed jaw by a sliding drive. At least one of the two jaws on a side facing the other, has a cutting edge. The two plier jaws can be enclosed around a workpiece to form a closed jaw arrangement with a width which can be reduced to substantially zero by opening and closing the two plier grips. The movable jaw may be pivotally mounted on the outer end of the fixed jaw and is formed by a clamp to be placed around the workpiece. During closure, the clamp engages the sliding drive, and when it is actuated, the workpiece is gradually pinched between the jaws and finally split.
