spade
spade — noun
1. a hand tool made for garden work, with a flat metal blade attached to a long woo
a hand tool made for garden work, with a flat metal blade attached to a long wooden or plastic handle; you step on the top of the blade to push it into the earth when digging or turning soil
Takeshi grabbed the old spade from the shed and dug a hole for the rose bush.
collocation: grab a spade / dig a hole with a spade
The farmer pushed the blade of his spade into the dry soil with his boot.
collocation: blade of a spade; push a spade with your foot
Lakshmi leaned on her spade for a moment and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
A good spade with a sharp blade makes digging in heavy clay much easier.
Nkechi bought a shorter-handled spade for working in her narrow flower beds.
2. the set of playing cards marked with a black pointed symbol that narrows at the
the set of playing cards marked with a black pointed symbol that narrows at the base; in many traditional games this suit outranks hearts and clubs
In the game of bridge, spades are ranked higher than hearts or clubs.
collocation: spades are ranked higher than [other suit]
Hamza drew the queen of diamonds, but his partner held the ace of spades.
Mei needed one more spade to complete her hand, but the final card was a club.
The spade symbol looks like an upside-down heart with a short stem at the top.
用法筆記
Used with a singular verb when referring to the suit as a group ('Spades is the strongest suit'). When referring to individual cards, use plural verb forms ('Spades are trump tonight').
3. a single card from the spades suit, marked with the black pointed-leaf design th
a single card from the spades suit, marked with the black pointed-leaf design that belongs to that group
Liam played a low spade and hoped nobody would win the trick with a higher one.
collocation: play a spade; win a trick
The dealer gave Ritu three spades and two hearts, so she knew she had a strong hand.
Isabela turned over the seven of spades and won the game with that final card.
Michael held only one spade, the two, and threw it onto the pile when spades were led.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (CARD SUIT): this sense refers to an individual card, not the suit as a category. For example, 'I have three spades' means three individual cards; 'Spades are trump' refers to the whole suit.
4. an extremely offensive and racist word used to refer to a Black person; its use
an extremely offensive and racist word used to refer to a Black person; its use is considered hate speech in most contexts and is never acceptable in any civil conversation
The speaker called a Black audience member a spade and was escorted out by security.
used as a racial insult; demonstrates unacceptable usage
Kwame's rival called him a spade on radio; the station apologised the next day.
Ms. Okafor read a 1949 editorial calling Black soldiers spades and discussed the harm it caused.
Teachers should explain why calling someone a spade is a deeply racist act that is never acceptable.
用法筆記
WARNING: This is one of the most offensive racial slurs in English. It is a hateful derogatory term for Black people and must never be used. Even quoting this word in conversation can cause deep offense. In most dictionaries it is labelled as 'taboo', 'offensive', or 'derogatory'. Unlike the other senses of 'spade', which are neutral everyday words, this sense is a racial slur with no acceptable use in any context. Learners should be aware of its existence only to avoid accidentally causing offense or to understand why it is considered abusive. Do NOT use this word to refer to a person.
常見錯誤
spade — verb
1. to break up, lift, or move earth, sand, or similar material using a spade; to di
to break up, lift, or move earth, sand, or similar material using a spade; to dig or shape ground with a spade
Élise spent the morning spading the vegetable bed before planting carrot seeds.
transitive: spade + [ground / garden bed]
The workers spaded the sandy soil along the foundation before pouring the concrete.
Tyler spaded a shallow trench beside the fence for the drainage pipe.
Hoa spaded the compost into the raised beds with slow, careful movements.
文法句型
spade + noun (object)
spade (no object)
用法筆記
Less common in everyday conversation than 'dig' or 'shovel'. Most often used in gardening or construction contexts. The object is typically the ground, soil, or the material being moved.
2. to operate a spade as a gardening or building tool, whether or not a specific ob
to operate a spade as a gardening or building tool, whether or not a specific object is being dug
Greta showed her nephew how to spade by placing his foot on the blade and pushing down.
intransitive: demonstrates technique of using a spade
The elderly gardener spaded every spring without fail, even when the ground was hard and dry.
Vikram spaded until his shoulders ached and his hands blistered.
Shirin watched the men spading in the field behind her house for the new irrigation pipes.
- dig
more general term; 'spade' specifically means using a spade tool
文法句型
spade (no object)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (DIG WITH TOOL): this sense focuses on the action of operating the tool itself rather than on a particular result. You can 'spade' without specifying what you are digging — the emphasis is on the physical work. This sense is almost always intransitive.