spade
spade (spād)
noun
- a heavy, flat-bladed, long-handled tool used for digging by pressing the metal blade into the ground with the foot
- any of several tools resembling a spade
- a part of the trail of a gun carriage which digs into the ground, so as to brace the gun during recoil
Etymology: ME < OE spadu, akin to Ger spaten < IE base *spē-, long flat piece of wood > spoon, Gr spathē
transitive verb, intransitive verb spad′ed, spad′·ing
to dig or cut with or as with a spade
call a spade a spade
to call something by its right name; use plain, blunt words
spade (spād)
in spades
☆Etymology: from the fact that spades are the highest suit in bridge, etc.
Informal in an extreme or emphatic way
spade (spād)
transitive verb spad′ed, spad′·ing
Dialectal spay
Possessives
- depth: I suggest digging down a spade's depth & width at least.
Converse of object
- ruff: However, after winning A, East can cash A and force dummy to ruff the third spade.
- throw: Yes of course, I just throw a spade on the 4th club.
- call: Andrew, married in 1965: ' Call a spade a spade.
- deny: Perhaps a quick pass would have been best, but I opted for a responsive double, showing values and denying 4 spades.
- lead: Suppose we lead a spade at trick 2. North can ruff a loser with a natural trump trick.
- carry: It worked, of course, and the following day Eric appeared in overalls, carrying a spade - Bless ' im!
Adjective modifier
- wooden: It was wrapped around the end of the wooden spade to make it easier to dig through soil.
- sharp: Then cut a large circle around the tree with a sharp spade.
- silver: The first sod of earth on the route was cut with a silver spade in October 1889.
Modifies a noun
- ruff: Obviously you need to find partner's entry to get your spade ruff.
- finesse: West led the 7. There are indeed 12 top tricks and there's the easy shot of the spade finesse for 13.
- connector: Connect the male spade connector to the brown wires you have just removed.
- terminal: Cut this and replace it with one of the spade terminals provided in the kit.
- depth: Preparation is simple - dig over ( 1.5 to 2 spades depth ) a square meter where the shrub is to be planted.
- suit: At the Leeds Swiss teams after this auction with a similar holding I decided not to lead fourth highest from a broken spade suit.
Noun used with modifier
- border: Lesley was first and chose a border spade, left handed secateurs and as she attracts rain her purple waterproof.
- steel: Many comments were given after the area of ground had been dug over but the stainless steel spades came up trumps every time.
- garden: A garden spade can be used to lever open doors.
- metal: I started to dig again and my metal spade hit something else metal a big clang went thorough everybody's ears.
A loose, plain, rude writerI call a spade a spade.
: When I see a spade I call it a spade. : I am glad to say that I have never seen a spade.
The glories of our blood and state Are shadows, not substantial things; There is no armour against fate; Death lays his icy hand on kings: Scepter and crown Must tumble down, And in the dust be equal made With the poor crooked scythe and spade.
First, sturdy March with brows full sternly bent, And arme' d strongly, rode upon a ram, The same which over Hellespontus swam: Yet in his hand a spade he also hent, And in a bag all sorts of seeds ysame, Which on the earth he strowe' d as he went, And filled her womb with fruitful hope of nourishment.
I hope I've done nothing so monosyllabic as to cheat. A spade is never so merelya spade as the word Spade would imply.
But, thanks to wine-less and democracy, We've still our stage where truth calls spade a spade!
Write with your spade, and garden with your pen, Shove your couplets to their long repose. And type your turnips down the field in rows.
Browse dictionary entries near spade
- spackling compound
- Spackle
- spacious
- spacing
- spacial
- spacey
- spacewalk
- spacesuit
- spaceship
- spaceport
- spadefish
- spadefoot toad
- spadework
- spadix
- spaetzle
- spaghetti
- spaghetti squash
- spaghetti strap
- spaghetti western
- spaghettini
