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not to change this into a word post or naught but what *is a runcible spoon? They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon.
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon..
- Edward Lear, The Owl & The Pussy-Cat
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Ohmigawd--I can't believe this. tsuwm, I am SHOCKED!  Atomica:
run·ci·ble spoon (rŭn'sə-bəl)
n.
A three-pronged fork, such as a pickle fork, curved like a spoon and having a cutting edge.
[Coined by Edward Lear, perhaps alteration of rounceval, big woman, large pea, wart, monster, huge, fromRoncevaux (Roncesvalles), site where giant bones were found.]
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not to change this into an animal safari post or nowt but have y'all ever noticed how much owls and cats look alike?
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how much owls and cats look alike Ah, yes. This is why the pussycat was so filled with consternation: after it was far too late, she noticed that her companion did not have whiskers...
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>A three-pronged fork, such as a pickle fork, curved like a spoon and having a cutting edge.
I'm sorry, but this just doesn't cut it. Illustrations that are contemporaneous with Lear's publication don't show no pickle fork.
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...proceeded to croon, "What's new, pussycat? Woe-oh-oh-oh-ohhhhhhh, woe-oh."Yes, Jackie, that Tom Jones was big on singin' the "woes" wasn't he!?  Could it have anything to do with his bein' a Welshman? Come out, come out, Mav, wherever you are!
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Sorry, tsuwm, but Lear lost out on this one. You can buy runcible spoons, and they look exactly as described in the above definition.
It would be interesting to know how Lear came to invent the word runcible.
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For the very-far-from-last word on the subject, try http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a961108a.htmlAnd here's a very different definition, from Bartleby: E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Runcible Spoon (A)...A horn spoon with a bowl at each end, one the size of a table-spoon and the other the size of a tea-spoon. There is a joint midway between the two bowls by which the bowls can be folded over ...There may be more to this runcibility business than meets the eye !
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award goes to [fanfare] Doktor Wofa, for his runcibility business
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Is there anything that rhymes with runcible? I mean a true rhyme: something like munchable won't do!
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