Spade

spād, n. a broad blade of iron with a handle, used for digging: a playing-card of one of the two black suits, shaped like a heart with a triangular handle.— v.t. to dig with a spade.— ns. Spade′-bone , the scapula; Spade′-foot , a scaphiopod or spade-footed toad; Spade′ful , as much as a spade will hold; Spade′-guin′ea , a guinea coined 1787-99, so called from the shield on the reverse side having the shape of the spade in playing-cards.— Call a spade a spade , to call things by their plain names, without softening: to speak out plainly. [A.S. spadu , spædu ; L. spatha —Gr. spathē , any broad blade.]