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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

spadework en · NOUN

Etymology

From spade + work.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) Work done by digging with a spade.
    • 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chance to take breath and gather up the threads, with the possibility that the next month's spade-work will not put us out of date. 1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page vii:
  2. (figuratively, uncountable) Work done in preparation for something else.
    • 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. 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VIII:
    • Some essential spadework, on which certain details of the plan will be founded, is yet unfinished. 1964 February, “British Railways' passenger plans”, in Modern Railways, page 73:
    • There's a lot of spadework to be done before the scheme can be implemented.

Relateds

spadeworker

Synonyms

digging (work done by digging with a spade) · prep (work done in preparation) · homework (work done in preparation) · prep work (work done in preparation) · groundwork (work done in preparation) · preparatory work (work done in preparation)

Translations (6)

ga bunobair (work done in preparation) · bg рутинна подготвителна работа (work done in preparation) · ru подгото́вка по́чвы (work done in preparation) · pl przygotowania (work done in preparation) · bg работа с лопата (work done by digging with a spade) · pl praca z łopatą (work done by digging with a spade)