# poll: "knife and fork" or "fork and knife" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 14, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179 "2010-10-14T21:15:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/1 "2010-10-14T21:15:58Z")
I said “knife and fork” and someone mocked me for it and he said “fork and knife” is right ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/2 "2010-10-14T21:18:16Z")
Knifewreeeench! ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/3 "2010-10-14T23:57:44Z")
How could someone have an opinion on the order in which one is supposed to name utensils? What is the relevance of naming it in the proper order? How can one ascertain the proper order in which to name them? Unless this is a joke, I’m puzzled. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/4 "2010-10-15T00:09:55Z")
[Knife and fork by three to one](http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=%22knife+and+fork%22&word2=%22fork+and+knife%22#). ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/5 "2010-10-15T00:24:51Z")
What kind of brain dead, retarded fucking drooling troglodyte says ‘fork and knife’. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/6 "2010-10-15T00:34:28Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Knifewreeeench! I prefer the drillfork…you can drill and fork…mostly fork! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/7 "2010-10-15T00:42:39Z")
What about the spoon? Won’t somebody think of the spoon? ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/8 "2010-10-15T00:53:27Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > What about the spoon? Won’t somebody think of the spoon? Ah. I see you’ve played knifey/forky/spoony before. I wonder why fork and knife sounds so weird for me to say. I have two cousins named Punkin and Ricky. We always call them “Punkin and Ricky”. Never “Ricky and Punkin”. When someone noticed and mentioned it, I realized it was true, but couldn’t figure out why. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/9 "2010-10-15T04:02:24Z")
Looks to me like you need to pick your acquaintances more carefully. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/10 "2010-10-15T06:29:49Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > How could someone have an opinion on the order in which one is supposed to name utensils? > > What is the relevance of naming it in the proper order? How can one ascertain the proper order in which to name them? > > Unless this is a joke, I’m puzzled. You ever say you want a jelly and peanut butter sandwich? Lots of pairs like this tend to get said in a certain order. It’s not a matter of being proper as much as it’s a matter of custom. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/11 "2010-10-15T11:49:42Z")
The first time I ever herd any say “fork and knife” was in a cafe in Townsville in Queensland. I ordered a pizza and the waitress asked whether I wanted a fork and knife (presumably rather than eat it with my hands). I nearly replied “no, I fork and don’t”… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/12 "2010-10-15T12:59:27Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > What kind of brain dead, retarded fucking drooling troglodyte says ‘fork and knife’. Terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/13 "2010-10-15T13:03:21Z")
Oh you want a fork’n knife? I got your forkin’ knife right here!! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/14 "2010-10-15T13:18:27Z")
It makes me twitch when people say “pepper and salt”. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/15 "2010-10-15T13:30:04Z")
“Mom and dad” or “dad and mom”? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/16 "2010-10-15T15:50:46Z")
spork ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/17 "2010-10-15T17:03:20Z")
Most states I know have a Fish & Game Dept. Arizona, for some reason,has a Game & Fish one, which also bugs me. At least the former is in proper alphabetical order. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/18 "2010-10-15T18:21:34Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > How could someone have an opinion on the order in which one is supposed to name utensils? > > What is the relevance of naming it in the proper order? How can one ascertain the proper order in which to name them? > > Unless this is a joke, I’m puzzled. Yep, sadly I had to pick the “Doesn’t matter” choice; since “Who the F Cares?” wasn’t an option. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/19 "2010-10-15T20:06:02Z")
“Knife and fork” is definitely the customary usage. But in my family it’s inevitably the other way 'round because of an incident in which three-year-old Cliffy misheard his father’s profane demand for a knife and, when that’s the only utensil that was produced, shouted “He said he wanted a fork AND kinfe!” –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179/20 "2010-10-15T21:30:27Z")
When I was a kid, my dad taught me this rhyme: “A knife and a fork, A bottle and a cork, And that’s the way you spell NEW YORK!” “Fork and (a) knife” just wouldn’t have worked for that ditty… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-knife-and-fork-or-fork-and-knife/557179.md?page=2)