Runcible spoon
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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.
The word "runcible" is a neologism.
Contents
Origin
Lear's best-known poem, The Owl and the Pussycat, published in 1871, includes the passage
- They dined on mince and slices of quince,
- which they ate with a runcible spoon.
- The Dolomphious Duck,
- who caught Spotted Frogs for her dinner
- with a Runcible Spoon
Other runcible objects
The word "runcible" was apparently one of Lear's favorite inventions, appearing in several of his works in reference to a number of different objects. In his verse self-portrait, How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear, it is noted that "he weareth a runcible hat". Other poems include mention of a "runcible cat", a "runcible goose", and a "runcible wall".Attempts to define the word
Lear does not appear to have had any firm idea of what the word "runcible" means. His whimsical nonsense verse celebrates words primarily for their sound, and a specific definition is not needed to appreciate his work. However, since the 1920's (several decades after Lear's death), modern dictionaries have generally defined a runcible spoon to be a fork with three prongs, such as a pickle fork, which is curved like a spoon, and also has a cutting edge. It should be noted that this definition is not consistent with Lear's drawing of a "runcible spoon", mentioned above, nor does it account for the other "runcible" objects in Lear's poems.Latin runcāre = "to weed", "to thin out", and if a Latin word runcibulum existed (as an error for runcābulum), it would mean "tool used for weeding".
Other references
The whimsical feel of the word "runcible" has led to its appearance in diverse arenas including fiction and business.Fiction
- In the board game Kill Doctor Lucky, a runcible spoon is one of the weapons players can use to kill Doctor Lucky.
- Runcible Spoon is the name of an elemental researching mage in the web-comic .
- In Neal Asher's novel Gridlinked, runcible is the name given to an interstellar teleporter.
- In Neal Stephenson's novel The Diamond Age, runcible is a code name for the Young Lady's Illustrated Primer.
- In Evelyn Waugh's novel Vile Bodies, Runcible is the last name of daft, drunken Agatha.
- In the Doctor Who serial "The Deadly Assassin", Runicible is the name of a Time Lord.
- In Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow," an exhibition fight with runcible spoons is held.
Business
- [Runcible Spoon], a kitchen store in Rhode Island
- [The Runcible Spoon], a restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana
- [The Runcible Spoon], a bakery in Nyack, New York
See also
References
- The Straight Dope: [What's a runcible spoon?], 8 November 1996
- [The Owl and the Pussycat] Full text online
- [Twenty-Six Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures] Full text online
- [How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear] Full text online (note the "runcible hat")
- [The Pobble Who Has No Toes] Full text online (note the "runcible cat")
Other nonsense words by Edward Lear
- Scroobious is an adjective which he applied to people in some of his verses. It sees to imply disapproval of their conduct. It may be a pseudo-Latin derivative of screwball. The word has since been used by other people.
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