spade

Related to spade: call a spade a spade

Note: This page may contain content that is offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

(as) black as the ace of spades

Completely black; totally without light or color. ("Spades" is a black suit in a deck of cards.) The basement gives me the creeps, it's as black as the ace of spades down there!

(as) cocky as the king of spades

Conceited or haughty. Don't invite Joe to lunch unless you want to hear him brag about all the important things he's doing in his new job. He's just as cocky as the king of spades lately.

call a spade a spade

To address or describe the true nature of someone or something, even if it is unpleasant. The term originated from a translation of an ancient Greek phrase, but is considered offensive by some due to the later use of the word "spade" as a racial slur for a black person. I know you like Jason, but he's a jerk! I'm sorry, but I have to call a spade a spade. You have to call a spade a spade and acknowledge the corruption built into this system!

See also: call, spade

do the spadework

To do the necessary preparatory work or research to successfully complete a given task or objective. Likened to working the soil with a spade when preparing to plant something. If you are looking to start your own business, you have to be sure to do the spadework first. I was up all night doing the spadework for my first case as a lawyer.

in spades

In large quantity or to an extreme degree. A con artist needs charm, and she had it in spades. This campaign has had drama in spades, but not much discussion of the issues.

See also: spade

spade up

To dig up and turn over soil or some body of soil with or as with a spade. A noun or pronoun can be used between "spade" and "up." You'll want to spade up the flower bed and mix in some fresh compost before sowing the new seeds. The ground was so full of stones and weeds that spading the soil up was an absolute chore.

*black as a skillet

and *black as a stack of black cats; *black as a sweep; *black as coal; *black as night; *black as pitch; *black as the ace of spades

completely dark or black. (*Also: as ~.) I don't want to go down to the cellar. It's as black as a skillet down there. Her hair was black as a stack of black cats. After playing in the mud all morning, the children were as black as night. The stranger's clothes were all black as pitch.

call a spade a spade

Fig. to call something by its right name; to speak frankly about something, even if it is unpleasant. (Considered offensive by some. Use only with discretion.) Well, I believe it's time to call a spade a spade. We are just avoiding the issue. Let's call a spade a spade. The man is a liar.

See also: call, spade

*cocky as the king of spades

boastful; overly proud. (*Also: as ~.) He'd challenge anyone to a fight. He's as cocky as the king of spades. She strutted in, cocky as the king of spades.

in spades

in the best or most extreme way possible; extravagantly. He flunked the test in spades. He succeeded at life in spades—honors degree, great career, rich wife, lovely children, and early retirement.

See also: spade

spade something up

to turn over the soil in a garden plot with a spade. Please go out and spade the garden up so I can plant the potatoes and onions. I will spade up the garden when I have time.

call a spade a spade

Speak frankly and bluntly, be explicit, as in You can always trust Mary to call a spade a spade. This term comes from a Greek saying, call a bowl a bowl, that was mistranslated into Latin by Erasmus and came into English in the 1500s. Also see tell it like it is.

See also: call, spade

do the spadework

Make the preliminary preparations or do the preliminary research for something. For example, The department head did all the spadework for this agreement. This expression transfers the heavy spading required to prepare for planting to other kinds of preparation. [c. 1900]

in spades

Considerably, in the extreme; also, without restraint. For example, They were having money problems, in spades, or Jan told him what he really thought of him, in spades. This expression alludes to spades as the highest-ranking suit in various card games, such as bridge, and transfers "highest" to other extremes. [Colloquial; 1920s]

See also: spade

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

call a spade a spade

If you call a spade a spade, you speak honestly and directly about a subject even if it offends people. In the meantime, Whyte is emerging as an outspoken voice who is willing to call a spade a spade. I'm not at all secretive, and I'm pretty good at calling a spade a spade. Note: You can also say that someone calls a spade a shovel when they speak extremely honestly and directly. He is never afraid to call a spade a shovel — and that is why he has universal respect in the game. Note: In a play by the Ancient Greek dramatist Menander, one of the characters says `I call a fig a fig, and a spade a spade'.

See also: call, spade

in spades

COMMON

1. If you have something in spades, you have a lot of it. The job required determination and ambition — and she had both qualities in spades.

2. If something happens in spades, it happens to a great degree. All this effort has paid off in spades.

See also: spade

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

call a spade a spade

speak plainly or bluntly, without avoiding issues which are unpleasant or embarrassing.

A variation on this phrase, dating from the early 20th century and used for humorous emphasis, is call a spade a shovel .

1998 Spectator A man whom I might not agree with where politics are concerned, but one who calls a spade a spade.

See also: call, spade

in spades

to a very high degree; as much as or more than could be desired. informal

This expression derives from the fact that spades are the highest-ranking suit in the card game bridge.

1996 Time Out Wit, vitality, heart, story-telling flair: the movie has each in spades.

See also: spade

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

call a ˌspade a ˈspade

speak openly and directly about something unpleasant: I believe in calling a spade a spade. When a patient’s going to die, I say so. Most people prefer to know the truth. OPPOSITE: beat about the bush

See also: call, spade

in ˈspades

(informal) in large amounts or to a great degree: He’d got his revenge now, and in spades.

Spades are one of the four kinds of playing cards. They are the highest cards in the game of bridge.

See also: spade

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

in spades

mod. in the best way possible; extravagantly. He flunked the test in spades.

See also: spade

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

call a spade a spade

To speak plainly and forthrightly.

See also: call, spade

in spades

To a considerable degree: They had financial trouble in spades.

See also: spade

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

black as night/pitch/the ace of spades

Very dark indeed. To these overused similes one can add ink (Spenser, Shakespeare), the crow or raven (Petronius, Chaucer), soot (John Ray’s proverbs, 1678), ebony (Shakespeare), and coal (Chaucer). The comparison to night (and also midnight) was more common in the nineteenth century, although Milton also used it (Paradise Lost), whereas black as pitch dates from Homer’s time (Iliad).

See also: ace, black, night, of, pitch, spade

call a spade a spade, to

To speak frankly and bluntly, to be quite explicit. The term dates from the sixteenth century, but may go back even to Greek and Roman times. One translation of Cicero’s Ad Familiares reads, “Here is your Stoic disquisition . . . ‘the wise man will call a spade a spade.’”There are numerous repetitions throughout the 1500s, such as John Taverner’s (“Whiche call . . . a mattok nothing els but a mattok, and a spade a spade,” Garden of Wysdome, 1539), and later uses by Ben Jonson, Robert Burton, Jonathan Swift, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain, among others. A cliché since the nineteenth century, it acquired a more sinister meaning when spade became an offensive slang word for a black person.

See also: call, spade

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

See also:

(as) black as the ace of spades
(as) black as the minister's coat
minister
(as) black as ink
ink
(as) black as a stack of black cats
(as) black as a raven's feather
(as) black as a skillet
(as) black as coal
black as a skillet

References in classic literature

He put his spade in methodically in every place but just this.

Flambeau pulled up the spade and impetuously drove it into the place.

Then, after a momentary meditation, he plucked the spade from Flambeau, and, saying "We must hide it again," clamped the skull down in the earth.

Brown threw up his bothered brow and rapped on the spade handle with an intolerance quite unusual with him.

The Innocence Of Father Brown

By and by he heard the strokes of spades. "They are digging the grave!" said he to himself, and the cold sweat started upon his forehead.

Adventure of the Black Fisherman

You were thinking, I'm going to take your head off with that spade?" Keogh denied these accusations, saying: "I didn't intend to take anyone's life that day.

Accusation of cowardice led to spade attack - court

Located on the south block between Wooster and West Broadway, this will be the first standalone location in the United States for the Kate Spade Saturday line.

Kate Spade digs in on Spring St

Incongruously, Huston then cuts to a series of matt images of San Francisco, as if to announce a travelogue, before showing the office of Spade and Archer.

The global and local femme fatale in The Maltese Falcon: a reappraisal

When linked to the sites where the bodies of three of the other Moors murder victims were found (John Kilbride, 12, Pauline Reade, 16 and Lesley Ann Downey, 10), the location of the spade completes a perfect cross.

THIS IS A MAJOR FIND.. POLICE SHOULD TEST IT; MOORS MURDERS: NEW CLUE IN HUNT FOR KEITH

They wrap one end of a chain around the spade and attach the other end to the disabled vehicle.

Don't bypass the winch

During the aerial suspension of the spade, he pauses, stares into blue

Harmattan

The large metal spade, surrounded by floral bedding is part of a collection of creative and unique displays, that will be feature at Kings Heath Park, on Saturday and Sunday.

Can you dig world's biggest spade?

It's been the perfect transplanting spade as the blade is nice and sharp and the soil doesn't roll off like it does from a flat headed spade.

A spade's a spade

Take one suit, for example Spades, and calculate the number of ways five Spades can be selected from 13 Spades, without considering the order you draw them in.

DR MATHS

THE STORY: When Sam Spade hung out his shingle in San Francisco, the Bay City hadn't caught the scent of the depression to come.

Spade & Archer: the prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon

词组	spade
释义	spade Related to spade: call a spade a spade Note: This page may contain content that is offensive or inappropriate for some readers. (as) black as the ace of spades Completely black; totally without light or color. ("Spades" is a black suit in a deck of cards.) The basement gives me the creeps, it's as black as the ace of spades down there! See also: ace, black, of, spade (as) cocky as the king of spades Conceited or haughty. Don't invite Joe to lunch unless you want to hear him brag about all the important things he's doing in his new job. He's just as cocky as the king of spades lately. See also: cocky, king, of, spade call a spade a spade To address or describe the true nature of someone or something, even if it is unpleasant. The term originated from a translation of an ancient Greek phrase, but is considered offensive by some due to the later use of the word "spade" as a racial slur for a black person. I know you like Jason, but he's a jerk! I'm sorry, but I have to call a spade a spade. You have to call a spade a spade and acknowledge the corruption built into this system! See also: call, spade do the spadework To do the necessary preparatory work or research to successfully complete a given task or objective. Likened to working the soil with a spade when preparing to plant something. If you are looking to start your own business, you have to be sure to do the spadework first. I was up all night doing the spadework for my first case as a lawyer. in spades In large quantity or to an extreme degree. A con artist needs charm, and she had it in spades. This campaign has had drama in spades, but not much discussion of the issues. See also: spade spade up To dig up and turn over soil or some body of soil with or as with a spade. A noun or pronoun can be used between "spade" and "up." You'll want to spade up the flower bed and mix in some fresh compost before sowing the new seeds. The ground was so full of stones and weeds that spading the soil up was an absolute chore. See also: spade, up Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. black as a skillet and black as a stack of black cats; black as a sweep; black as coal; black as night; black as pitch; black as the ace of spades completely dark or black. (Also: as ~.) I don't want to go down to the cellar. It's as black as a skillet down there. Her hair was black as a stack of black cats. After playing in the mud all morning, the children were as black as night. The stranger's clothes were all black as pitch. See also: black, skillet call a spade a spade Fig. to call something by its right name; to speak frankly about something, even if it is unpleasant. (Considered offensive by some. Use only with discretion.) Well, I believe it's time to call a spade a spade. We are just avoiding the issue. Let's call a spade a spade. The man is a liar. See also: call, spade cocky as the king of spades boastful; overly proud. (Also: as ~.) He'd challenge anyone to a fight. He's as cocky as the king of spades. She strutted in, cocky as the king of spades. See also: cocky, king, of, spade in spades in the best or most extreme way possible; extravagantly. He flunked the test in spades. He succeeded at life in spades—honors degree, great career, rich wife, lovely children, and early retirement. See also: spade spade something up to turn over the soil in a garden plot with a spade. Please go out and spade the garden up so I can plant the potatoes and onions. I will spade up the garden when I have time. See also: spade, up McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. call a spade a spade Speak frankly and bluntly, be explicit, as in You can always trust Mary to call a spade a spade. This term comes from a Greek saying, call a bowl a bowl, that was mistranslated into Latin by Erasmus and came into English in the 1500s. Also see tell it like it is. See also: call, spade do the spadework Make the preliminary preparations or do the preliminary research for something. For example, The department head did all the spadework for this agreement. This expression transfers the heavy spading required to prepare for planting to other kinds of preparation. [c. 1900] in spades Considerably, in the extreme; also, without restraint. For example, They were having money problems, in spades, or Jan told him what he really thought of him, in spades. This expression alludes to spades as the highest-ranking suit in various card games, such as bridge, and transfers "highest" to other extremes. [Colloquial; 1920s] See also: spade The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. call a spade a spade If you call a spade a spade, you speak honestly and directly about a subject even if it offends people. In the meantime, Whyte is emerging as an outspoken voice who is willing to call a spade a spade. I'm not at all secretive, and I'm pretty good at calling a spade a spade. Note: You can also say that someone calls a spade a shovel when they speak extremely honestly and directly. He is never afraid to call a spade a shovel — and that is why he has universal respect in the game. Note: In a play by the Ancient Greek dramatist Menander, one of the characters says `I call a fig a fig, and a spade a spade'. See also: call, spade in spades COMMON 1. If you have something in spades, you have a lot of it. The job required determination and ambition — and she had both qualities in spades. 2. If something happens in spades, it happens to a great degree. All this effort has paid off in spades. See also: spade Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. call a spade a spade speak plainly or bluntly, without avoiding issues which are unpleasant or embarrassing. A variation on this phrase, dating from the early 20th century and used for humorous emphasis, is call a spade a shovel . 1998 Spectator A man whom I might not agree with where politics are concerned, but one who calls a spade a spade. See also: call, spade in spades to a very high degree; as much as or more than could be desired. informal This expression derives from the fact that spades are the highest-ranking suit in the card game bridge. 1996 Time Out Wit, vitality, heart, story-telling flair: the movie has each in spades. See also: spade Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary call a ˌspade a ˈspade speak openly and directly about something unpleasant: I believe in calling a spade a spade. When a patient’s going to die, I say so. Most people prefer to know the truth. OPPOSITE: beat about the bush See also: call, spade in ˈspades (informal) in large amounts or to a great degree: He’d got his revenge now, and in spades. Spades are one of the four kinds of playing cards. They are the highest cards in the game of bridge. See also: spade Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary in spades mod. in the best way possible; extravagantly. He flunked the test in spades. See also: spade McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions call a spade a spade To speak plainly and forthrightly. See also: call, spade in spades To a considerable degree: They had financial trouble in spades. See also: spade American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. black as night/pitch/the ace of spades Very dark indeed. To these overused similes one can add ink (Spenser, Shakespeare), the crow or raven (Petronius, Chaucer), soot (John Ray’s proverbs, 1678), ebony (Shakespeare), and coal (Chaucer). The comparison to night (and also midnight) was more common in the nineteenth century, although Milton also used it (Paradise Lost), whereas black as pitch dates from Homer’s time (Iliad). See also: ace, black, night, of, pitch, spade call a spade a spade, to To speak frankly and bluntly, to be quite explicit. The term dates from the sixteenth century, but may go back even to Greek and Roman times. One translation of Cicero’s Ad Familiares reads, “Here is your Stoic disquisition . . . ‘the wise man will call a spade a spade.’”There are numerous repetitions throughout the 1500s, such as John Taverner’s (“Whiche call . . . a mattok nothing els but a mattok, and a spade a spade,” Garden of Wysdome, 1539), and later uses by Ben Jonson, Robert Burton, Jonathan Swift, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain, among others. A cliché since the nineteenth century, it acquired a more sinister meaning when spade became an offensive slang word for a black person. See also: call, spade The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: (as) black as the ace of spades (as) black as the minister's coat minister (as) black as ink ink (as) black as a stack of black cats (as) black as a raven's feather (as) black as a skillet (as) black as coal black as a skillet References in classic literature He put his spade in methodically in every place but just this. Flambeau pulled up the spade and impetuously drove it into the place. Then, after a momentary meditation, he plucked the spade from Flambeau, and, saying "We must hide it again," clamped the skull down in the earth. Brown threw up his bothered brow and rapped on the spade handle with an intolerance quite unusual with him. The Innocence Of Father Brown By and by he heard the strokes of spades. "They are digging the grave!" said he to himself, and the cold sweat started upon his forehead. Adventure of the Black Fisherman You were thinking, I'm going to take your head off with that spade?" Keogh denied these accusations, saying: "I didn't intend to take anyone's life that day. Accusation of cowardice led to spade attack - court Located on the south block between Wooster and West Broadway, this will be the first standalone location in the United States for the Kate Spade Saturday line. Kate Spade digs in on Spring St Incongruously, Huston then cuts to a series of matt images of San Francisco, as if to announce a travelogue, before showing the office of Spade and Archer. The global and local femme fatale in The Maltese Falcon: a reappraisal When linked to the sites where the bodies of three of the other Moors murder victims were found (John Kilbride, 12, Pauline Reade, 16 and Lesley Ann Downey, 10), the location of the spade completes a perfect cross. THIS IS A MAJOR FIND.. POLICE SHOULD TEST IT; MOORS MURDERS: NEW CLUE IN HUNT FOR KEITH They wrap one end of a chain around the spade and attach the other end to the disabled vehicle. Don't bypass the winch During the aerial suspension of the spade, he pauses, stares into blue Harmattan The large metal spade, surrounded by floral bedding is part of a collection of creative and unique displays, that will be feature at Kings Heath Park, on Saturday and Sunday. Can you dig world's biggest spade? It's been the perfect transplanting spade as the blade is nice and sharp and the soil doesn't roll off like it does from a flat headed spade. A spade's a spade Take one suit, for example Spades, and calculate the number of ways five Spades can be selected from 13 Spades, without considering the order you draw them in. DR MATHS THE STORY: When Sam Spade hung out his shingle in San Francisco, the Bay City hadn't caught the scent of the depression to come. Spade & Archer: the prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon
随便看	at a snail's pace at a snail’s gallop at a snail’s pace at a stand a taste for (something) a taste of (one's) own medicine a taste of own medicine at a stretch at a tender age at a/the ripe old age at a time at a venture at a word at bat at bay at beck and call at/behind the wheel at best at best/worst at bottom atcha at close quarters at close range at cross purposes at cross-purposes