Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

[venta]

Can anyone tell me what they consider to be the defining characteristic (if any) of a fish fork ?

Incidentally, I too can use google. I want to know what you, yourself, with your own mind think constitutes a fish fork.

Comments

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

It generally has a wee waist in the 'bowl' part. Goodness knows why, maybe to trap bones. And it's usually smaller than a real fork.

(I was going to say that the leftmost tine was widened into a sort of blade, but actually I now think that is more of a dessert fork characteristic.)

[venta.livejournal.com]

It generally has a wee waist in the 'bowl' part

Could you explain that again for the stupid ? I thought I'd understood, but the trapping bones part doesn't make much sense, so now I fear I haven't.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

By the bowl part I mean the flattish segment which has the handle at one end and the tines at the other. In a fish fork I think this usually has a notch on either side about halfway along. I speculated they might be for catching bones because on a sword you sometimes have similar notches for catching the opponent's sword, so it can't just slide smoothly along your edge -- so the fish fork notches might maybe prevent bones springing up the saide of the fork and hitting you in the eye. But this was mostly a facetious suggestion.

[venta.livejournal.com]

But this was mostly a facetious suggestion.

I feel betrayed and let down :)

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

I was going to say that the leftmost tine was widened into a sort of blade

A runcible spoon!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Mm, no, that's more like a spork for me, ie. it's basically a spoon with tines cut into it. A dessert fork is a fork with one tine broadened, but it's not otherwise bowl-like.

But this could all be completely wrong. Hopefully venta will enlighten us as to fork taxonomy shortly.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hopefully venta will enlighten us as to fork taxonomy shortly.

Sadly, no. Venta wants to know, and found the interweb rather unsatisfactory as a source, and that's why she's asking.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Nope.

In my parents house, there are some strange brown, translucent plastic spoons which I believe were actually Mothercare's best baby-feeding equipment at a time when I merited such things. They now, on account of their tolerance for EPNS-rotting vinegar, get used for pickles.

For as long as I can remember I have been firmly convinced that that is what was meant by a runcible spoon.

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

Feel free to be as convince - and wrong - as you like.

While in defiance of its origins, a runcible spoon does in fact have three broad tines, one of which (an outside one, one presumes) has a slightly sharpened edge.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

We had a similar tradition: only it was a fluted silver spoon with an almost-circular bowl, whose origins were lost in the midst of time, that to us defined runcibility.

On which subject, what makes a runcible hat, as allegedly worn by Lear himself?