wooden spoon

• Literalmente, um utensílio de cozinha feito de madeira usado para mexer alimentos; em sentido figurado (especialmente no Reino Unido), um prêmio imaginário dado a quem fica em último lugar numa competição ou tem o pior desempenho de um grupo.

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.

   Utensílio de cozinha

   • 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.

   Colher de pau

   • 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.