Objective Proficiency p 34. The Fork. Extra Cloze

Fork-like implements for spearing 1__________ have been used for over 2000 years. For example, the Ancient Romans used to use special spoons with one 2________ or two at the end of the handle for winkling 3_____________ shellfish. The first "modern" fork is thought to have been used in the eleventh century 4________ the wife of the Venetian Doge. Forks are mentioned again there centuries later, in 1361, in an 5______________ of the plate owned by the Florentine Commune. However, the first real evidence that forks had spread 6__________ eating tools came some two hundred years later, in a 1570 engraving of a knife, fork and spoon. In 1605, King Henri III of France and his companions were satirised 7______ their fork-wielding effeminacy. "They would rather touch their mouths with their little forked instruments than with their fingers," wrote Thomas Artus, who claimed that they looked especially silly as they strove 8___________ capture the peas and broad 9__________ on their plates- as well they might have done, since early forks had long, widely separated prongs and scooping 10_________ them must have been impossible. 
On returning home from Italy in 1611, the Englishman Thomas Coryat bore 11________ news that he had seen forks in Italy and had decided to adopt them. The reason for the Italian custom was, he explained, that 12___________ extremely fastidious, ultra-modern people considered that 13_________ fingering of the meat that was being carved at table was a transgression against the laws of good manners, "seeing all men's fingers are not alike cleane".
However, even Coryat did not regard forks as being for eating with, but for holding the meat in place 14___________ carving.
Although in the course of the seventeenth century there was some use of individual forks, people would more often share forks with others, wiping 15________ carefully on their napkins as they would spoons. It was only in the nineteenth century that eating with a fork truly began to proliferate, and at this time there were important modifications to its basic design. 16___________ had been making forks with three prongs, but these were now shortened, moved closer together, and a 17________  tine commonly added. With the fork's design in transition, one-handed eating was increasingly 18__________ vogue: the knife was put down once the food had been cut up and the fork was then used to take the food to the mouth. Diners with yet more elaborate manners sought 19________ perform this manoeuvre for every mouthful consumed. This form of  "zigzag" eating was still customary among the French 20______________ in the 1880s, though the English were successfully introducing a new fashion, where the knife was kept in the right hand and the fork held in the left, much as we have been doing ever since.

 KEY
1. food

Implement: /ˈɪmplɪment/a tool or an instrument, often one that is quite simple and that is used outdoors.Instrumento, herramienta. E.g. Agricultural implements.
Spear something/somebody:  /spɪə(r)/ to throw or push a spear or other pointed object through something/somebody. E.g. They were standing in the river spearing fish. She speared an olive with her fork.



2. prong/ tine

Prong: each of the two or more long pointed parts of a fork. E.g. A fork has four prongs.
Tine: any of the points or sharp parts of, for example, a fork or the antlers of a deer. Prong. E.g. A fourth tine was added later. 



3. out

Winkle something/somebody out (of something): to get something/somebody out of a place or position, especially when this is not easy to do. E.g. Winkle out shellfish.



4. by

Doge: /dəʊdʒ/ the most important government official of Venice or Genoa in the past. 



5. inventory /ˈɪnvəntri/ a written list of all the objects, furniture, etc. in a particular building. E.g. an inventory of the museum's contents

Plate: dishes, bowls, etc. that are made of silver or gold. E.g. The family plate.



6. as



7. for 

Wield something:  to hold something, ready to use it as a weapon or tool. E.g. He was wielding a large knife.

Effeminate: /ɪˈfemɪnət/ (adj) looking, behaving or sounding like a woman or a girl. Effeminacy: /ɪˈfemɪnəsi/ (n). E.g. King Henry III of France and his companions were satirised for their fork-wielding effeminacy.



8. to

Strive /straɪv/ strove /strəʊv/ striven: to try very hard to achieve something. Sp. Esforzarse. E.g. Newspaper editors all strive to be first with a story. She strove to find a solution that was acceptable to all.  



9. beans

Broad bean: a type of round, pale green bean. Several broad beans grow together inside a fat pod (a long case filled with seeds). Haba. E.g. They strove to capture the peas and broad beans on their plates. 

10. with

Scoop: (v) to move or lift something with a scoop or something like a scoop. E.g. She scooped ice cream into their bowls. First, scoop a hole in the soil. Scoop out the melon flesh. Scoop: (n) a tool like a large spoon with a deep bowl, used for picking up substances in powder form like flour, or for serving food like ice cream. E.g. Use an ice-cream scoop.

11.  the
Bear bore borne somebody/something (old-fashioned or formal): to carry somebody/something, especially while moving. E.g. Three kings bearing gifts. He bore the news.



12. these

Fastidious: /fæˈstɪdiəs/ 1. being careful that every detail of something is correct. Meticulous. E.g. Everything was planned in fastidious detail. He was fastidious in his preparation for the big day. 2. Not liking things to be dirty or untidy. E.g. She wasn't very fastidious about personal hygiene.



13. any

Finger something: to touch or feel something with your fingers. E.g. Gary sat fingering his beard, saying nothing.



14. while
Carve: to cut a large piece of cooked meat into smaller pieces for eating. E.g. Who's going to carve the turkey? 



15. them
wipe: to remove dirt, liquid, etc. from something by using a cloth, your hand, etc. E.g. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.



16. Craftsmen



17. fourth

Tine: any of the points or sharp parts of, for example, a fork or the antlers of a deer. Prong. E.g. A fourth tine was added later.



18.  in
vogue: /vəʊɡ/ a fashion for something. E.g. Black is in vogue again. 



19. to
seek to do something to try to do something. Attempt. E.g. They quickly sought to distance themselves from the protesters.

manoeuvre: /məˈnuːvə(r)/ a movement performed with care and skill. E.g. a complicated/ skilful manoeuvre. You will be asked to perform some standard manoeuvres during your driving test.



20. bourgeoisie
bourgeoisie /ˌbʊəʒwɑːˈziː/ the middle classes in society. E.g. the rise of the bourgeoisie in the nineteenth century

zigzag: /ˈzɪɡzæɡ/ a line or pattern that looks like a series of letter W's as it bends to the left and then to the right again. E.g. The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags.

customary: /ˈkʌstəməri/ if something is customary, it is what people usually do in a particular place or situation. E.g. Is it customary to tip hairdressers in this country?

Full text
Fork-like implements for spearing food have been used for over 2000 years. For example, the Ancient Romans used to use special spoons with one prong or two at the end of the handle for winkling out shellfish. The first "modern" fork is thought to have been used in the eleventh century by the wife of the Venetian Doge. Forks are mentioned again there centuries later, in 1361, in an inventory of the plate owned by the Florentine Commune. However, the first real evidence that forks had spread as eating tools came some two hundred years later, in a 1570 engraving of a knife, fork and spoon. In 1605, King Henri III of France and his companions were satirised for their fork-wielding effeminacy. "They would rather touch their mouths with their little forked instruments than with their fingers," wrote Thomas Artus, who claimed that they looked especially silly as they strove to capture the peas and broad beans on their plates- as well they might have done, since early forks had long, widely separated prongs and scooping with them must have been impossible. 
On returning home from Italy in 1611, the Englishman Thomas Coryat bore the news that he had seen forks in Italy and had decided to adopt them. The reason for the Italian custom was, he explained, that these extremely fastidious, ultra-modern people considered that any fingering of the meat that was being carved at table was a transgression against the laws of good manners, "seeing all men's fingers are not alike cleane".
However, even Coryat did not regard forks as being for eating with, but for holding the meat in place while carving.
Although in the course of the seventeenth century there was some use of individual forks, people would more often share forks with others, wiping them carefully on their napkins as they would spoons. It was only in the nineteenth century that eating with a fork truly began to proliferate, and at this time there were important modifications to its basic design. Craftsmen had been making forks with three prongs, but these were now shortened, moved closer together, and a fourth "tine" commonly added. With the fork's design in transition, one-handed eating was increasingly in vogue: the knife was put down once the food had been cut up and the fork was then used to take the food to the mouth. Diners with yet more elaborate manners sought to perform this manoeuvre for every mouthful consumed. This form of  "zigzag" eating was still customary among the French bourgeoisie in the 1880s, though the English were successfully introducing a new fashion, where the knife was kept in the right hand and the fork held in the left, much as we have been doing ever since.


Related story:
Fork Off!