butter knife
7
1.0
- noun
- /ˈbʌtər naɪf/
:
cuchillo para mantequilla
- Please use a butter knife to spread the creamy peanut butter on your toast.
And so we look into the bag and it's like freaking spoons, forks and butter knives was like, dude, this is not the weapon.
- And so we look into the bag and it's like freaking spoons, forks and butter knives was like, dude, this is not the weapon.
- Now you're going to take a cookie, twist it open, and I'm going to take a little butter knife and just scrape out the good stuff.
- And finally feeling like I have a little bit, like I have a little flaming butter knife, you know, I can kind of see what that looks like.
Examples
-
Would you hand me the butter knife, please?
-
This is a butter knife.
-
All I had were two sticks and a butter knife.
-
Lena taps the table with the butter knife.
Fiction book (1991) -
Richard watches as Lena breaks off a piece of bread, picks up a butter knife, and then puts them both down.
Fiction book (1991) -
Samson located a butter knife in the utensil drawer, laid it on the counter next to the jars of jelly and peanut butter.
Fiction book (2000) -
The children eagerly grabbed their butter knives to help spread the icing on the cake.
-
She handed me a butter knife so I could easily spread the soft cheese on my bagel.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A tool with a sharp blade and handle used for cutting or as a weapon
How Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small knife used for cutting or spreading butter' is directly and compositionally derived from 'butter' + 'knife'—a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a knife associated with butter (for spreading/cutting). This noun–noun compounding pattern expressing purpose or association is cross-linguistically common and therefore immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Butter knife: The name butter knife comes from a small knife used to spread butter; its blade is dull and round so it does not cut like a sharp knife. That's why the phrase means 'a small knife for spreading butter'.