spoons

A man counts his spoons before paying for groceries.

Definition

1. Noun (plural):
   • Utensils for eating or serving food: "spoons" are small, usually metal or plastic utensils consisting of a shallow oval or round bowl at the end of a handle, used for lifting liquid or semi-solid food to the mouth.
   • Slang (US, informal): "spoons" can refer to money, particularly in the phrase "to have spoons" meaning to have cash or financial resources.
   • A musical instrument: In folk music, "spoons" are a percussion instrument made by striking two spoons together against the hand or knee.

Usage Examples

• Utensils:

  • We need spoons for the soup. (Utensils for eating liquid food.)
  • She set the table with forks, knives, and spoons. (Utensils arranged for a meal.)

• Slang (money):

  • He's got plenty of spoons from his business. (He has a lot of money from his work.)
  • I'm short on spoons this month. (I don't have enough money this month.)

• Musical instrument:

  • He played the spoons at the folk concert. (He used two spoons as a percussion instrument.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth": to be born into a wealthy family.

  • She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and never had to work. (She inherited wealth from birth.)

• "To spoon-feed": to provide someone with so much help or information that they do not need to think for themselves.

  • The teacher spoon-fed the students the answers. (The teacher gave them all the answers directly.)

Variants and Related Words

• Spoonful (n): the amount that a spoon can hold.

  • Add a spoonful of sugar to the tea. (One spoon's worth of sugar.)

• Spoonerism (n): a verbal error in which the initial sounds of two words are swapped, often for humorous effect.

  • "A well-oiled bicycle" is a spoonerism of "a well-boiled icicle." (A swapped-sound joke.)

Synonyms

• Utensils: cutlery, tableware, silverware.
• Slang (money): cash, dough, bread, loot.
• Musical instrument: percussion, rhythm sticks.

Phrasal Verbs

• Spoon out: to distribute or serve using a spoon.

  • She spooned out the ice cream into bowls. (Served it with a spoon.)

• Spoon up: to eat or lift with a spoon.

  • The baby spooned up the porridge. (Ate it with a spoon.)

Related Idioms

• "To spoon with someone": (dated slang) to kiss and cuddle amorously.

  • They were spooning on the sofa. (They were embracing intimately.)

• "To make spoons": (slang) to earn money quickly or easily.

  • He made spoons selling old records. (He made a lot of money easily.)