Definitions
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Mining) A nail one or two inches long, of iron, brass, tin, or tinner iron, with a hole through the flattened head, used to mark stations in underground surveying.
Examples
“The "spad" had not stopped a second in that attack, and he might not in this; the next thing he knew the knife might be between his ribs.”
“French "spad," Arch Cobden what lived up to Yardley, and that red-headed Irish cub, Tod Fogarty --”
“The report also raised a broader point about the role played by special advisers and said that the behaviour of one "spad" working in the then Department of Trade and Industry, Jim Godfrey, had been "irresponsible".”
“In Gove's case, Tory insiders say Andy Coulson, Cameron's communications chief, blackballed his choice of policy spad, a clever maverick called Dominic Cummings despite Gove's threat to resign.”
“Ed Miliband, himself an ex-spad, called them "intellectual valets".”
“I imagine many CoffeeHousers baulked at that last bit – but “good, honest spad” is not a contradiction in terms.”
“When you were looking at a carrier-based fighter, you went with the spad / skyraider and then the skyhawk.”
Cheeseburger Gothic » SJPOneill asks two very important questions.
“I was a lot more disappointed when Rhuanydd Richards joined then as a spad.”
“The remainder of the march consisted of a series of winding round spurs: at about an average elevation of 6,000 feet found a Pythonium foliis pedalis, spad. apice filiformo recurvo, vel erecto, spathe viridi,”
Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and the Neighbouring Countries
“Jones brought me home on that neat little knock-about spad he's just bought.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘spad’.
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Coal Mining Terms
Coal mining has engendered fascinating subcultures in industry, labor, music, folklore, environment and energy. It has a rich vocabulary as well, and I've encountered some gorgeous mining words. I...
firedamp, scrip, bituminous, anthracite, company store, blackdamp, brattice, bug dust, tipple, whitedamp, float dust, fly ash and 136 more...
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Really Cool Four-Letter Words
I marvel at the amazing variety of four-letter words in the English language. And that's not even counting really common (to me) words like fuck.
ibis, pelf, sofa, iota, oboe, lava, icon, sped, puha, pulp, puma, kyat and 150 more...
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Ute
Durable items invented by Hom. Sap.
alpenhorn, matchbox, plinth, pillow, cantilever, fulcrum, troika, cloverleaf, nib, wheelbarrow, dictabelt, cockpit and 184 more...
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VanishedOne's Words
facipulator, fetiphobia, gules, boustrophedon, reverse boustroph..., unreal, ensiform, xiphoid, romhack, heritage, floccinaucinihili..., johnian and 1004 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for spad.
yarb 'Company personnel will provide survey mark-up for drill hole bearing (azimuth) lines comprising labeled spads for front and back sights at drill station locations prior to drilling and collar surveys for completed drill holes.'
- Excerpt from contract for diamond drilling
See Free Dictionary link for definition. Jul 17, 2009
vanishedone B.B.C. News: 'So what do special advisers do and is the characterisation fair?
'The code of conduct spells out the job description. They are employed as temporary civil servants but do not have to be politically impartial like their civil service colleagues.
'They link together the minister, the party and the department. They are also the bridge between the neutral civil service and the politicians.
'One former "spad" - as they are known around Westminster - from the Blair years told me that they bring a political antenna to proceedings that essentially protects the civil servants by maintaining their independence.' Apr 15, 2009