Толковый словарь английского языка Oxford English Reference - spade

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a tool used for digging or cutting the ground etc., with a sharp-edged metal blade and a long handle. 2 a tool of a similar shape for various purposes, e.g. for removing the blubber from a whale. 3 anything resembling a spade. --v.tr. dig over (ground) with a spade. Phrases and idioms call a spade a spade speak plainly or bluntly. spade beard an oblong-shaped beard. spade foot a square spadelike enlargement at the end of a chair-leg. Derivatives spadeful n. (pl. -fuls). Etymology: OE spadu, spada 2. n. 1 a a playing-card of a suit denoted by black inverted heart-shaped figures with small stalks. b (in pl.) this suit. 2 sl. offens. a Black. Phrases and idioms in spades sl. to a high degree, with great force. spade guinea hist. a guinea of George III's reign with a spade-shaped shield on the reverse. Etymology: It. spade pl. of spada sword f. L spatha f. Gk spathe, rel. to SPADE(1): assoc. with the shape of a pointed spade