putty knife
1
5.3
- noun
- /ˈpʌti naɪf/
:
espátula
- He easily found his round-tip putty knife and, with his fingernails, picked off scabs of dried paint.
- a plastic putty knife
- Use a putty knife
Examples
-
And you'll find a putty knife there as well.
Fiction book (2000) -
She carefully used a putty knife to remove the old caulk from around the sink.
-
Try a wide putty knife to get the strips up, and don't use a nail gun next time.
-
Additionally, since these fillers are applied by trowel or putty knife, getting the material into small crevices can be difficult and time-consuming.
Academic text (1998) -
He heated his putty knife until it nearly glowed red, then picked up his stringless Rowland Ross.
Fiction book (1995) -
I gouged out the old dry caulk with a putty knife and a screwdriver, recaulked, primed, painted a first coat, and painted a second coat.
Academic text (2000) -
Then, stripping wallpaper with a putty knife, he pushed too hard and gouged the plaster, revealing the dark, tender underskin.
Fiction book (2002) -
I have lovely brushes for latex and for oil, putty knives and scrapers, hammers, mallets, and saws.
Fiction book (1991) -
He lifts the putty knife from the cart, scrapes at a wad of paper toweling glommed to the underside of a sink.
Fiction book (2000) -
After applying the putty, use a putty knife to smooth the surface for a clean finish.
Synonyms
36
1.5
A flat, thin tool with a handle for lifting and turning food like pancakes
How Flexible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'putty' (a malleable filler) + 'knife' (a handheld blade/tool): a tool used with putty. This noun–noun compounding pattern is common and the intended function (a knife-like tool for applying or shaping putty) is predictable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Putty knife gets its name from the simple tool it is: a flat knife used to spread putty, a soft paste. Imagine using a wide blade to smooth paste into cracks — that's why it means 'a flat tool for applying or smoothing putty'.