Crossword Clue: Utensil for cutting food
Here's the answer to the Utensil for cutting food crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: KNIFE
"Utensil for cutting food" points to KNIFE, a 5-letter entry that starts with K and finishes on E and carries 2 vowels. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into KNIFE from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
A knife is a bladed tool for cutting, and one of humanity's oldest, first made from flaked stone. The silent 'k' in its spelling was actually pronounced in Old English before falling silent over the centuries.
Common usage
Compact, vowel-friendly answers such as KNIFE are a constructor's staple: they slot into a 5-square space and play nicely in both directions. Solvers who recognize it on sight save real time on the daily puzzle.
Crossword trivia
Knife belongs to the small vocabulary of words that appear constantly in grids. Because it's only 5 letters, editors can drop it almost anywhere, which is why regular solvers know it on sight.
Stuck on this clue?
Stuck on "Utensil for cutting food"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make KNIFE obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue KNIFE — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Utensil for cutting food'? That's KNIFE nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed KNIFE was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing KNIFE into the grid took no time at all."