silver spoon

English

Etymology

Rooted in 18th century European table-setting customs, when diners would bring their own utensils to the meal. To distinguish themselves from serfs and peasants, members of the land-owning classes often used silver cutlery, whence the term silverware.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

silver spoon (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Wealth passed down or inherited.

   He was born with a silver spoon and an upturned nose. He didn't lose the latter when he squandered the former.

   • 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival (lyrics and music), “Fortunate Son”, in Willy and the Poor Boys:

     Some folks are born silver spoon in hand / Lord, don't they help themselves, yeah

Usage notes

Although this noun is uncountable, it is almost always preceded by the indefinite article ("a").

Translations

wealth passed down

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 金鎖匙／金锁匙 (gam¹ so² si⁴)

  Mandarin: 金湯匙／金汤匙 (jīn tāngchí), 金鑰匙／金钥匙 (jīnyàoshi)

• Finnish: hopealusikka (fi)

See also

• born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
• silvertail (Australian English)
• silver fork novel