The Wide World of Spatulas
Q. We have lost our Clyde spatula, which was a wedding gift 44 years ago. It had a blade about 12 inches long and a wooden handle. The name Clyde was on the blade. It was extremely flexible, just right for turning an egg. All the other spatulas we have seen have rigid blades. Can you suggest a replacement?
A. There are some very flexible kitchen tools on the market that may be good substitutes for your Clyde.
First, terminology: Spatulas are used in baking. Metal spatulas, long and flat, are used for spreading fillings and frostings. The spatula you describe sounds like an icing spatula. Rubber or silicon spatulas, short with rounded ends, are used for mixing batter and scraping bowls.
What many people call a spatula is actually a turner, perfect for flipping omelets and pancakes. With a short, wide, flexible blade and an offset handle, it would perhaps make the best replacement for your Clyde.
Also, the results of the Harvard dialect study, including my favorite question, What do you call the game wherein the participants see who can throw a knife closest to the other person (or alternately, get a jackknife to stick into the ground or a piece of wood)? Unfortunately, "stupid" was not one of the choices.
http://hcs.harvard.edu/~golder/dialect/maps.php