spatula

plural spatulas · plural spatulae · plural spatulæ

1. cookingA kitchen utensil consisting of a flat surface attached to a long handle, used for turning, lifting, or stirring food.

   Synonyms: fish slice, fish trowel, turner, pancake turner, kitchen turner, cooking turner, flipper

2. CanadaUSA kitchen utensil consisting of a flexible surface attached to a long handle, used for scraping the sides of bowls.

   Synonyms: scraper, dough scraper

3. datedA palette knife.
4. chemistryA thin hand tool, often made of nickel, for handling chemicals or other materials, when weighing, etc.
5. UKA tongue depressor.
6. A croupier's tool for turning up cards in a casino.

   The croupier delicately faced her other two cards with the tip of his spatula. A four! She had lost!

   1963, Ian Fleming, On Her Majesty's Secret Service

7. biologyA sclerotized, T-shaped plate in the prothorax of larvae of flies belonging to family Cecidomyiidae, the gall midges.

   The third instars are similar to other members of the genus except for a three-pronged spatula (typically two-pronged) and five lateral papillae (typically four) and with a nonbristled first instar.

   2015 November 2, Donald B. Thomas, John A. Goolsby, “Morphology of the Preimaginal Stages of Lasioptera donacis Coutin (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), a Candidate Biocontrol Agent for Giant Arundo Cane”, in Psyche, →DOI

present singular third person spatulas · participle present spatulaing · participle past spatulaed · past spatulaed

1. transitiveTo lift with or as if with a spatula.

   A book on Pastels referes [sic] to a rough Modeling paste to be spatulaed over cotton duck.

   1996 September 3, Macy Garcia, “What is the difference between Gesso, Modeling Paste & Texture Gel?”, in rec.arts.fine (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   So if you get road-pizzaed, should you have to pay in order to get yourself spatulaed off of the street?

   1997 May 15, Toby, “Any same-sex marriage opposition?”, in alt.atheism (Usenet)

   Eddie spatulaed the patty onto a bun and extracted tomatoes, lettuce, and sliced pickles from a Tupperware.

   2018 March 13, Bruce Holbert, Whiskey: A Novel, MCD, →ISBN, page 4

2. transitiveTo strike with a spatula.

   I haven't spatulaed anyone in ages...

   2000 March 7, Justa Hillbilly, “Does this place get WILD???”, in alt.bored (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   Or if you're a Ranma Character. I mean, they've been kicked/punched/thrown/hammered/spatulaed into the stratosphere enough times, you gotta figure they've developed a prretty high threshold of pain/injury.

   1997 March 14, arnoldkim, “Best way to get yourself killed in anime”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet)

   i.....am............dying.....................i'vebeen..............spatula'd........................to.........death...

   2000 February 15, erik, “*”, in alt.bored (Usenet)