Spingle

Gerry Prong is not a name that currently has much currency in the world of top class swanky dining, but that could soon be about to change, for Mr Prong has invented the first new piece of cutlery since the invention of the fork in 1492.

"People say to me 'Oh, but what about the spork'," Gerry tells us. "But of course, the spork doesn't count because it's not a wholly original implement. It's a hybrid, like a spife or a foon. My invention is something new."

Mr Prong has christened his utensil - a thin tube with a spiral at one end and a rotor at the other - the 'spingle', but there is one last hurdle to overcome. Before the spingle can be accepted by the Standards Committee of the International Council of Cutlery Classification, it must first be demonstrated that the implement has a specific and original use.

"Take the spoon," Mr Prong explains. "That was a necessary and inevitable development. Before the spoon, eating soup was a nightmare. Now, if I can just figure out what you could possibly use a spingle for, I'll be minted."