spatula
/ˈspætʃələ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈspætʃələ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈspa-chə-lə ˈspach-lə/ (ame, mw)
spatula — noun
- spatulasingular
- spatulasplural
1. A kitchen tool with a long handle and a wide, flat blade — made of metal, plasti
A kitchen tool with a long handle and a wide, flat blade — made of metal, plastic, or silicone — used for lifting, flipping, or turning food while it cooks in a pan.
Sofia flipped the pancakes with a spatula and placed them on a plate.
flip [pancakes/eggs] + with a spatula
Theo used a metal spatula to lift the fried eggs from the pan without breaking them.
A rubber spatula is perfect for scraping the last bits of cake batter out of the mixing bowl.
Jack slid the spatula under the grilled fish and carefully turned it over.
A non-stick frying pan needs a silicone spatula so the surface does not get scratched.
- turner
less common outside professional kitchens; specifically describes a tool for flipping food
- fish slice
British English term for a slotted metal spatula used with fish or other delicate foods
用法筆記
Still referred to as a spatula even when it has slots or holes in the blade — such models are also called slotted turners or slotted spatulas.
常見錯誤
2. A thin, flat piece of wood that a doctor presses down on a patient's tongue to s
A thin, flat piece of wood that a doctor presses down on a patient's tongue to see inside their mouth or throat during an examination.
The doctor asked the boy to open wide and then pressed a wooden spatula on his tongue.
press a (wooden) spatula on [someone's] tongue
Nina gagged a little when the wooden spatula touched the back of her throat during the check-up.
Dr. Okafor used a spatula and a small flashlight to examine the child's sore throat at the clinic.
The nurse threw the used wooden spatula into the bin right after the examination ended.
- tongue depressor
the standard medical term; more precise and formal than spatula
用法筆記
Frequently called a tongue depressor rather than a spatula in clinical settings, though spatula remains common in everyday speech. Always disposed of after a single use.
3. A hand-held implement with a flat part that bends when you push it, used for sti
A hand-held implement with a flat part that bends when you push it, used for stirring, for smoothing sticky material onto a surface, or for cleaning scraps off a work area.
Emma used a metal spatula to spread a thin layer of plaster over the hole in the wall.
spread [material] with a spatula
The artist dipped the spatula into the jar and scooped out a blob of blue oil paint.
scoop [paint/butter] with a spatula
A narrow spatula makes it easy to spread buttercream frosting smoothly across the sides of a cake.
Before mixing the resin and hardener, the artist laid a clean spatula and some gloves on the workbench.
Amara used a flexible spatula to scrape the leftover paint off the glass palette.
- scraper
emphasises the scraping function; often used in painting or baking for cleaning surfaces
- palette knife
a specific type of spatula used by painters for mixing and applying oil or acrylic paint
- offset spatula
a baking/painting tool with a bent handle that keeps the user's hand clear of the surface being spread
用法筆記
Unlike the cooking-focused sense above, this sense covers mixing, spreading, and scraping in non-cooking workspaces such as painting, crafting, and construction — even though the tool's shape may resemble a rubber kitchen spatula, the context and purpose are distinct.