spade

CEFRB2

/speɪ̯d/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A tool with a broad blade used for digging.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A cutting instrument used in flensing a whale.

Examples

  • He is the type of a person who calls a spade a spade.

  • I call a fig a fig, a spade a spade.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /sped/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A device for terminating an electrical conductor resembling a small spade.

  2. A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for digging. Not to be confused with a shovel which is used for moving earth or other materials.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To turn over soil with a spade to loosen the ground for planting.

More examples

In context

  • Jane calls a spade a spade.

  • I've got only one spade in my hand.

  • "[...] And not a single spade has gone in the ground - not a single mile of track built."

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

He used a sharp blank to dig a hole in the garden for the tree.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English spade, from Old English spada, spade, spadu (“spade”), from Proto-Germanic *spadô. Doublet of spatha, spathe, and épée.