Meanings
- uncountableWork 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chance to take breath and gather up the threads, with the possibility that the next month's spade-work will not put us out of date.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 viiSynonyms: digging
- figurativelyuncountableWork done in preparation for something else.
There's a lot of spadework to be done before the scheme can be implemented.
2 more examples
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 VIIISome 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 73Synonyms: prep, prep work, preparatory work, groundwork, homework
Synonyms & antonyms
nounWork done by digging with a spade.
nounWork done in preparation for something else.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian работа с лопата, рутинна подготвителна работа
- работа с лопата (rabota s lopata)work done by digging with a spade
- рутинна подготвителна работа (rutinna podgotvitelna rabota)work done in preparation
Irish bunobair
- bunobairwork done in preparation
Polish praca z łopatą, przygotowania
- praca z łopatąwork done by digging with a spade
- przygotowaniawork done in preparation
Russian подгото́вка по́чвы
- подгото́вка по́чвы (podgotóvka póčvy)work done in preparation
Cite this entry
spadework. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spadework
“spadework.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spadework. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spadework,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spadework.
Source: spadework on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.