tongs

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun plural A grasping device consisting of two arms that are joined, often at one end, as by a pivot or a scissorlike hinge.

from The Century Dictionary.

• See tong.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun plural An instrument, usually of metal, consisting of two parts, or long shafts, jointed together at or near one end, or united by an elastic bow, used for handling things, especially hot coals or metals; -- often called a pair of tongs.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Plural form of tong.
• noun An instrument or tool used for picking things up without touching them with the hands or fingers, consisting of two slats or grips hinged at the end or in the middle, and sometimes including a spring to open the grips.
• noun by extension (Plural form of tong.) A large scissors-like two-piece center-hinged forged-iron implement with oval-loop handles and with pointed tips turned inward (in the same plane as and perpendicular to the handles) to facilitate lifting and carrying a block of ice. Often called ice tongs.
• verb Third-person singular simple present indicative form of tong.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun any of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below