English

A drawing of stick figures spooning. The person on the left is the big spoon.

Noun

big spoon

1. (slang) The person whose front is touching the other person's back when spooning.
   • 2011, Charlotte Knight, "You snooze, you lose", The Daily Titan (California State University, Fullerton), Volume 89, Issue 13, 24 February 2011, page 4:

     So we would attempt to nap. But as he had a twin bed, space was limited, so I would insist he be the big spoon and I be the little spoon.

   • 2012, Kamyar Jarazadeh, "Cuddle Sutra", Caliber Magazine, Issue 5, Spring 2012, page 59:

     It's a scene played out in bedrooms all over America: after minutes or hours of cuddling, the big spoon rolls off the little spoon and turns his or her back.

   • 2013, "The Bardian's Guide To Sharing A Bed", Bard Free Press (Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York), Volume 14, Issue 5, February 2013, page 19:

     Keep in mind, though, boner pokes from the big spoon might get in the way of sleep. If the big spoon has a ****, that is.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:big spoon.

Coordinate terms

• little spoon