spatula

Everyday

1. A spatula is a kitchen tool with a wide, flat, bendy blade, used for spreading, mixing, scraping or lifting food. tree →
2. A spatula is also a small flat tool used in science labs to scoop powders, or by doctors to press down your tongue. tree →

In the lessons

In cooking, people flip pancakes and burgers with a spatula or scrape cake mix from a bowl. In science lessons, pupils use a spatula to measure out small amounts of salt or powder. Safety: use a spatula, not your fingers, in a hot pan.

Examples

• Flip the pancake with a spatula. tree →
• She scraped the last of the cake mix out with a spatula. tree →
• Use the spatula to spread the icing. tree →
• In science we took one spatula of salt. tree →
• The doctor pressed my tongue with a wooden spatula. tree →
• Don't use a metal spatula on a non-stick pan. tree →
• Dad lifted the burger onto the bun with a spatula. tree →

Note

Countable noun: «a spatula, spatulas». Stress: SPACH-uh-luh. In the UK, a flat tool for flipping food is often called a «fish slice», and a rubber one for scraping a «spatula». In science, «one spatula» is a rough measure, not exact.