wooden spoon

• Littéralement, ustensile de cuisine en bois utilisé pour remuer, ou au sens figuré, prix imaginaire attribué à la dernière place d'une compétition ou au plus mauvais classement d'un groupe.

A literal kitchen utensil made of wood used for stirring and mixing, or figuratively, an imaginary prize for finishing last in a competition or ranking lowest in a group.

1. Kitchen utensilA1formal

   A spoon made of wood, used for stirring, mixing, and cooking.

   cuillère en bois

   • She used a wooden spoon to stir the soup.
   • Wooden spoons are gentle on non-stick pans.
   • He bought a set of wooden spoons for the kitchen.

2. Last place prizeB2informalbritish

   A humorous or imaginary prize awarded to the person or team that finishes last in a competition.

   Cuillère de bois

   • The team that came last in the tournament received the wooden spoon.
   • He joked that he was aiming for the wooden spoon this year.
   • The wooden spoon is a lighthearted way to acknowledge the last-place finisher.