"I spy" meaning in English

See I spy in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Etymology: From the phrase I spy with my little eye used in the game. Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} I spy (uncountable)
  1. (games) A game where players have to guess what one can see, based on the initial letter of the object. Tags: uncountable Categories (topical): Games Translations (guessing game): I spy -leikki (english: no Finnish equivalent) (Finnish), ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst (German), veo veo [masculine] (Spanish), but see ett skepp kommer lastat (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-I_spy-en-noun-h9aNA1FT Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 49 51 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 51 49 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 49 51 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 54 46 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 51 49 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 54 46 Topics: games Disambiguation of 'guessing game': 60 40
  2. (games, archaic) A children's game of hide and seek, so called from the cry when one is found. Tags: archaic, uncountable Categories (topical): Games
    Sense id: en-I_spy-en-noun-1bi496Vl Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 49 51 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 51 49 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 49 51 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 54 46 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 51 49 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 50 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 54 46 Topics: games
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: I-spy

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_text": "From the phrase I spy with my little eye used in the game.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "I spy (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Games",
          "orig": "en:Games",
          "parents": [
            "Recreation",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "- Let's play I spy! I spy with my little eye something beginning with W.\n- Is it a watering-can?",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A game where players have to guess what one can see, based on the initial letter of the object."
      ],
      "id": "en-I_spy-en-noun-h9aNA1FT",
      "links": [
        [
          "games",
          "game#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "game",
          "game"
        ],
        [
          "player",
          "player"
        ],
        [
          "guess",
          "guess"
        ],
        [
          "see",
          "see"
        ],
        [
          "initial",
          "initial"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(games) A game where players have to guess what one can see, based on the initial letter of the object."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "games"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "fi",
          "english": "no Finnish equivalent",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "guessing game",
          "word": "I spy -leikki"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "guessing game",
          "word": "ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "note": "not used in Polish",
          "sense": "guessing game"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "guessing game",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "veo veo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "note": "no equivalent term in Swedish",
          "sense": "guessing game"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "60 40",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "guessing game",
          "word": "but see ett skepp kommer lastat"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Games",
          "orig": "en:Games",
          "parents": [
            "Recreation",
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A children's game of hide and seek, so called from the cry when one is found."
      ],
      "id": "en-I_spy-en-noun-1bi496Vl",
      "links": [
        [
          "games",
          "game#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "hide and seek",
          "hide and seek"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(games, archaic) A children's game of hide and seek, so called from the cry when one is found."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "I-spy"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "I spy"
  ],
  "word": "I spy"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the phrase I spy with my little eye used in the game.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "I spy (uncountable)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "en:Games"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "- Let's play I spy! I spy with my little eye something beginning with W.\n- Is it a watering-can?",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A game where players have to guess what one can see, based on the initial letter of the object."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "games",
          "game#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "game",
          "game"
        ],
        [
          "player",
          "player"
        ],
        [
          "guess",
          "guess"
        ],
        [
          "see",
          "see"
        ],
        [
          "initial",
          "initial"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(games) A game where players have to guess what one can see, based on the initial letter of the object."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "games"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "en:Games"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A children's game of hide and seek, so called from the cry when one is found."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "games",
          "game#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "hide and seek",
          "hide and seek"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(games, archaic) A children's game of hide and seek, so called from the cry when one is found."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "I-spy"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "english": "no Finnish equivalent",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "guessing game",
      "word": "I spy -leikki"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "guessing game",
      "word": "ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "note": "not used in Polish",
      "sense": "guessing game"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "guessing game",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "veo veo"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "note": "no equivalent term in Swedish",
      "sense": "guessing game"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "guessing game",
      "word": "but see ett skepp kommer lastat"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "I spy"
  ],
  "word": "I spy"
}

Download raw JSONL data for I spy meaning in English (2.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.