spade
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishGardening, Cardsspadespade /speɪd/ ●●○ noun [countable]1
DLGa tool for digging that has a long handle and a broad metal blade that you push into the ground → shovel2 (also spades [plural])DGC a playing card belonging to the set of cards that have one or more black shapes that look like pointed leaves printed on themthe queen of spades3 → call a spade a spade4 → in spades5 [countable] taboo old-fashionedSANINSULT a very offensive word for a black person. Do not use this word.Examples from the Corpusspade• And it's no use calling a spade an effing shovel, when saying spade would have been far more effective.• A spade lay half-buried in mud.• The woman stuck her spade in the ground.• Beyond the stables the monotonous sound of Varro's spade went on and on.• I thought the going would be easy after penetrating the surface layers of soil and roots with spade and ax.Origin spade 1. Old English spadu2. (1500-1600) Italian spada or Spanish espada “broad sword” (used as a mark on cards), from Latin spatha; → SPATULA
DLGa tool for digging that has a long handle and a broad metal blade that you push into the ground → shovel2 (also spades [plural])DGC a playing card belonging to the set of cards that have one or more black shapes that look like pointed leaves printed on themthe queen of spades3 → call a spade a spade4 → in spades5 [countable] taboo old-fashionedSANINSULT a very offensive word for a black person. Do not use this word.Examples from the Corpusspade• And it's no use calling a spade an effing shovel, when saying spade would have been far more effective.• A spade lay half-buried in mud.• The woman stuck her spade in the ground.• Beyond the stables the monotonous sound of Varro's spade went on and on.• I thought the going would be easy after penetrating the surface layers of soil and roots with spade and ax.Origin spade 1. Old English spadu2. (1500-1600) Italian spada or Spanish espada “broad sword” (used as a mark on cards), from Latin spatha; → SPATULA- beyond question
- beyond reasonable doubt
- beyond recall
- beyond redemption
- beyond remedy
- beyond repair
- beyond repair etc
- beyond repair/control/belief etc
- beyond reproach
- beyond somebody’s grasp
- beyond somebody’s wildest dreams
- beyond suspicion
- beyond the boundaries of
- beyond the confines of
- Beyond the Fringe
- beyond the pale
- beyond the reach of
- beyond the reach of somebody
- beyond the scope of
- beyond wildest dreams
- beyond your ken
- beyond your wildest dreams
- beyond/outside/within the scope of something
- beyond/without compare
- beyond/without number