What is a 'runcible spoon' (as in the Owl & the Pussycat)?

Answer 1

Lear made it up because the syllables were just right for his nonsense (which I love b.t.w.). Later on, it touched the minds of the readers and when they grew up they began inventing runcible spoons, which were like sieves, full of holes, and totally rust-proof. They sold out in a week. Then someone with a curious mind came along and dug up the whole question again.
As no-one knew the best answer, the asker opened a pub somewhere in England called "The Runcible Spoon". Perhaps in Brighton? Wouldn't be surprised.
So, it's a pub with holes in its spoons with bar-tenders who all have rings in their noses. Music is a small guitar, and every turkey they serve is religious. The cool cats who hang out there are very beautiful, but there some wise owls too, so I suspect it is some kind of match-making place, but five quid doesn't apply these days, no matter how much money and honey are wrapped in it. They use ten thousand Japanese yen notes. Sigh. A sign of the times. And the small guitar is also made by Yamaha. The Runcible Spoon - no wonder that cat was drunk when she married the owl!.

Answer 2

It was a specialist piece of cutlery. A very long-handled spoon with a very small scoop. I believe it was for removing marrowbone jelly from bones.
It has become to be regarded as a nonsense word simply because nobody uses, possess or even makes runcible spoons anymore. We have long ago stopped eating cattle femurs (where the marrowbone jelly is to be found).
Such a spoon would have made a useful wedding gift in their time though. A bit like toasters do today. Hence the allusion to the two lovers, the owl and the pussycat.
Edward Lear did not tell lies - well not always.

Answer 3

A runcible spoon is a fictitious utensil that appears in the nonsense poetry of Edward Lear. More generally, the word "runcible" is also used of objects other than spoons in Lear's work. It is fundamentally a nonsense word.

Answer 4

a runcible spoon is a small fork with three prongs, one having a sharp edge, and curved like a spoon. This spoon is used to eat pickles, etc.

Answer 5

A runcible spoon is one which has slots to allow liquid to drain away

Answer 6

Originally nobody knows as Lear invented the word.
Nowadays I think it looks like a mix between a spoon and a fork.

Answer 7

At first it was just a nonsense word made up by Edward Lear. In the 1920's it came to mean a 3-pronged fork.

Answer 8

It is a fork with three prongs curved like a spoon. One outer prong has an edge for cutting.

Have a look at www.onelook.com which is a search system using a large number of dictionaries.

Answer 9

It is a large spoon with holes to pick up food without the liquid when serving.

Answer 10

It is a fictitious word made up by the poet, Edward Lear