runcible spoon
English
Etymology
1871, coined by Edward Lear with no definition, but was applied to the following by 1926.
Noun
runcible spoon (plural runcible spoons)
- A fork-like spoon that has a cutting edge.
- 1871, Edward Lear, “Owl & Pussy-Cat” in Nonsense Songs:
- They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
- They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
- 2006, Lemony Snicket, The End, chapter 4, page 87
- But the Baudelaires accepted their bowls of ceviche, as well as the strange utensils Friday handed them, which were made of wood and looked like a combination of a fork and a spoon.
"They're runcible spoons," Friday explained. "We don't have forks or knives in the colony, as they can be used as weapons."
- But the Baudelaires accepted their bowls of ceviche, as well as the strange utensils Friday handed them, which were made of wood and looked like a combination of a fork and a spoon.
- 1871, Edward Lear, “Owl & Pussy-Cat” in Nonsense Songs:
Usage notes
- The word runcible, by itself, has no separate meaning.
Quotations
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:runcible spoon.