cutlery

[Lynne Murphy]

I think Tesco is just being idiotic and there is no such law referring to
cutlery.  Most shops that have (BrE) take-away/(AmE) to-go food have
plastic knives, forks and spoons available for one to take.  Tesco has a
reputation as a cheapskate company, so I wouldn't be surprised if they
overinterpret the law.

There's some discussion of cutlery v(s) silverware on my blog, if it's of
interest:
<http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2008/09/stemware-and-other-wares.html>

In terms of gross misrepresentations (or wild imaginings) of British law
that I've heard from America recently, this one is rather tame!  ;-)

Lynne


--On 06 September 2009 21:35 -0400 Mark Mandel <Mark.A.Mandel at GMAIL.COM>
wrote:

> An English friend of mine, K., wrote in his blog:
>
> ===
> I went into Tesco [a very large retail chain] today and among other
> things I picked up a couple of teaspoons. I then used the "self service"
> checkouts, where the customer scans their own purchases. To my surprise a
> young lady came up and asked if I had bought alcohol. No, no alcohol. Oh,
> on checking the list she said "spoons!" Spoons? Yes, she confirmed, you
> have to be over 18 to buy any cutlery. What special damage am I supposed
> to be able to do with a teaspoon if I'm under 18?
> ===
>
> One commenter (A) speculated that "this is because Tesco's system lumps
> all cutlery together and doesn't have a "knife" category [rather] than
> because spoons are legally restricted."
>
> I wondered if the relevant law uses the word "cutlery" in an older sense,
> meaning something like "things that cut", and the supermarket software
> has a more modern sense, what I call "flatware". Here is OED's
> definition, in its entirety, supported by citations ranging from c1449
> all the way up to 1846.
>
> ===
> a. The art or trade of the cutler[*]. b. collect. Articles made or sold by
> cutlers, as knives, scissors, etc. Also attrib.
> ---
> * [Cutler: "One who makes, deals in, or repairs knives and similar cutting
> utensils."]
> ===
>
> Merriam Webster agrees, mostly:
>
> ===
> 1 : the business of a cutler
> 2 : edged or cutting tools; specifically : implements for cutting and
> eating food
> ===
>
> I asked K and other U.K. participants: Does "cutlery" include spoons in
> your usual use of the word? Or is it an everyday word for you at all?
>
> The answers were affirmative, although the word itself doesn't seem to be
> part of the law (TM's comment, below). So the fault in the stores seems to
> lie with the program. But the dictionaries are lagging.
>
> ===
> K:
> Yes, in the usual sense of the word (and that used in shops as far as I've
> seen) it includes spoons and forks as wel as knives, it's a generic term
> for all eating utensils (but not usually things like ladles which come
> under the generic "kitchen utensils"). When I was a kid the generic was
> 'silverware' (and a lot of it did indeed have some silver, often as a
> plating, in its construction whereas ladles, carving knives, etc. were
> often steel or other materials), but even then we kept them all in a
> "cutlery drawer" in the kitchen. I've never understood 'flatware', since
> spoons and forks aren't very flat (nor are fishknives).
>
> I don't know what words are used in the actual law, I've only seen
> summaries of it, that's an interesting point.
> ---
> TM:
> The most applicable acts are
> The Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act (1959)
> http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1959/pdf/ukpga_19590037_en.pdf
> (specifically to ban flick knives and similar)
>
> The Criminal Justice Act (1988)
> http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880033_en_1.htm
>
> The Offensive Weapons Act (1996)
> http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/ukpga_19960026_en_1
>
> The Knives Act (1997)
> http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970021_en_1#pb5-l1g9
>
> None of which seem to mention "cutlery".
>
> And yes, "cutlery" is what's in the cutlery drawer and includes knives
> (regular, butter, fish and steak knives to name but four), forks (regular,
> salad, fish and dessert (or cake)), spoons (tea, soup, dessert and table)
> and close relatives of same.
> ---
> L:
> In the purely colloquial sense, yes, I would include knife, fork & spoon
> as cutlery (as in "I'll get the plates if you set out the cutlery").
>
> I was in Ikea the other day - there, you have to be 21 or over to buy a
> set of kitchen knives. I could see this being very inconvenient for an
> 18yr old just setting out in his first place after leaving school, or
> setting up in a flat for uni etc...
> ===
>
> Mark A. Mandel



Dr M Lynne Murphy
Senior Lecturer in Linguistics
Arts B357
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QN

phone: +44-(0)1273-678844
http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com

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