spade /speɪ̯d/noun 5verb 2forms 3phrases 1 noun5 •A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for digging. Not to be confused with a shovel which is used for moving earth or other materials.'Make your mind easy,' Ratsey said; 'I have dug too often in this graveyard for any to wonder if they see me with a spade.' — 1898 •A cutting instrument used in flensing a whale. •A playing card marked with the symbol ♠.I've got only one spade in my hand. •(offensive) A black person.And as for a divorce, I know plenty spades right here in Harlem get married any time they want to. — 1929 •A device for terminating an electrical conductor resembling a small spade. verb2 •To turn over soil with a spade to loosen the ground for planting. •To move with a spade, or as with a spade.‘Le baccarat,’ intoned the croupier as he spaded the thick chips over the table to Bond. — 1953 formsspaded · spading · spades Phrases with spade call a spade a spadeTo put it bluntly, to be outspoken; to speak the truth, to describe things as they really are.
