See spadework in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "spade",
"3": "work"
},
"expansion": "spade + work",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From spade + work.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "spadework (uncountable)",
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],
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"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "spadeworker"
}
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{
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{
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{
"_dis": "50 50",
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{
"_dis": "49 51",
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],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page vii:",
"text": "It is this help that the present book attempts to give, and the moment of its appearance, during a partial lull of excavation, is an opportune one. There is a chance to take breath and gather up the threads, with the possibility that the next month's spade-work will not put us out of date.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Work done by digging with a spade."
],
"id": "en-spadework-en-noun-XlCpe8Fz",
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "79 21",
"sense": "work done by digging with a spade",
"word": "digging"
}
],
"tags": [
"uncountable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "79 21",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "rabota s lopata",
"sense": "work done by digging with a spade",
"word": "работа с лопата"
}
]
},
{
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{
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],
"examples": [
{
"text": "There's a lot of spadework to be done before the scheme can be implemented.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VIII:",
"text": "Removing a portion of chair which had got entangled in my back hair, I said with a candour that became me well: “I was looking for a mouse.” If she had replied, “Ah, yes, indeed. I understand now. A mouse, to be sure. Quite,” everything would have been nice and smooth, but she didn't. “A mouse?” she said. “What do you mean?” Well, of course, if she didn't know what a mouse was, there was evidently a good deal of tedious spadework before us, and one would scarcely have known where to start.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1964 February, “British Railways' passenger plans”, in Modern Railways, page 73:",
"text": "Some essential spadework, on which certain details of the plan will be founded, is yet unfinished.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Work done in preparation for something else."
],
"id": "en-spadework-en-noun-mIr4Td5~",
"links": [
[
"preparation",
"preparation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(figuratively) Work done in preparation for something else."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "prep"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "prep work"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "preparatory work"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "groundwork"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "homework"
}
],
"tags": [
"figuratively",
"uncountable"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "rutinna podgotvitelna rabota",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "рутинна подготвителна работа"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"code": "ga",
"lang": "Irish",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "bunobair"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 68",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "podgotóvka póčvy",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "подгото́вка по́чвы"
}
]
}
],
"word": "spadework"
}
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"etymology_templates": [
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"expansion": "spade + work",
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],
"etymology_text": "From spade + work.",
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"related": [
{
"word": "spadeworker"
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],
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{
"categories": [
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],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page vii:",
"text": "It is this help that the present book attempts to give, and the moment of its appearance, during a partial lull of excavation, is an opportune one. There is a chance to take breath and gather up the threads, with the possibility that the next month's spade-work will not put us out of date.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Work done by digging with a spade."
],
"tags": [
"uncountable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "There's a lot of spadework to be done before the scheme can be implemented.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VIII:",
"text": "Removing a portion of chair which had got entangled in my back hair, I said with a candour that became me well: “I was looking for a mouse.” If she had replied, “Ah, yes, indeed. I understand now. A mouse, to be sure. Quite,” everything would have been nice and smooth, but she didn't. “A mouse?” she said. “What do you mean?” Well, of course, if she didn't know what a mouse was, there was evidently a good deal of tedious spadework before us, and one would scarcely have known where to start.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1964 February, “British Railways' passenger plans”, in Modern Railways, page 73:",
"text": "Some essential spadework, on which certain details of the plan will be founded, is yet unfinished.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Work done in preparation for something else."
],
"links": [
[
"preparation",
"preparation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(figuratively) Work done in preparation for something else."
],
"tags": [
"figuratively",
"uncountable"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "work done by digging with a spade",
"word": "digging"
},
{
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "prep"
},
{
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "prep work"
},
{
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "preparatory work"
},
{
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "groundwork"
},
{
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "homework"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "rabota s lopata",
"sense": "work done by digging with a spade",
"word": "работа с лопата"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "rutinna podgotvitelna rabota",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "рутинна подготвителна работа"
},
{
"code": "ga",
"lang": "Irish",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "bunobair"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "podgotóvka póčvy",
"sense": "work done in preparation",
"word": "подгото́вка по́чвы"
}
],
"word": "spadework"
}
Download raw JSONL data for spadework meaning in English (3.4kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-13 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (4ba5975 and 4ed51a5). 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.
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