We can use our fingers to "roll a big mat into a tube".
However, clay is not flat so to make a tube out of clay, a boy puts the clay between his palms then he rubs his palms together and thus create a tube out of the clay.
Can we say "The boy rolled the clay into a tube with his palms"?
Or do we have a verb for that action?
Best Answer
There is actually a technical term, which would be appropriate if the boy was a potter, and not just playing. A cylindrical piece of clay rolled by hand is called a "coil" by potters, from its use in making coil pots. You could talk about "rolling a (clay) coil". or "rolling out the clay into coils"
Otherwise a "sausage" or other metaphor works well.