📖 S — The English dictionary · page 75

spanish — Everyday, meaning 1: Spanish means from Spain or to do with Spain, its people or culture.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spanish is the language spoken in Spain and in most countries of Central and South America, like Mexico and Argentina.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The Spanish are the people of Spain.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: The Spanish Main was the old name for the Caribbean coast of Central and South America, which was ruled by Spain and was a haunt of pirates.↗ Example: We are learning Spanish at school.↗ · «Hola» means «hello» in Spanish.↗ · My friend's family speaks Spanish at home.↗ · Spanish is spoken in Mexico, Spain and Argentina.↗ · We had a Spanish omelette for tea.↗ · The Spanish flag is red and yellow.↗ · My aunt plays the Spanish guitar.↗ · Paella is a famous Spanish dish.↗ · Mullins and Alf Mason and many another ruffian long known and feared on the Spanish Main.↗ · The Samaritans still to this day preserve a tradition allowing Resh to occur in both single and double forms, bearing a distinction comparable to the difference between the Spanish single r of pero and double rr of perro.]↗ Taw-Thaw.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

spank — Everyday, meaning 1: To hit someone, usually a child, on the bottom with an open hand as a punishment.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) A slap on the bottom.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (rude, adult slang) a rude word grown-ups use; not for school.↗ Example: In old stories, naughty children were often spanked.↗ · It is now against the law to smack or spank children in Wales.↗ · Taffy's name says she ought to be spanked, but her daddy loved her.↗ · The horses trotted along at a spanking pace.↗ · He rode a spanking new bicycle.↗ · If an adult hurts you, tell a teacher you trust.↗

spanking — Everyday, meaning 1: A punishment by hitting a child's bottom with an open hand, done in the past by parents and some teachers.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (adjective, old-fashioned) Fast, lively and fine: «at a spanking pace», «a spanking breeze».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (adverb, informal) Very, used with «new»: «spanking new» means brand new and shiny.↗ Example: In the old days a naughty child might get a spanking.↗ · The Elephant's Child was spanked by all his relatives for asking questions.↗ · The new bus was spanking new and smelled of paint.↗ · The horses trotted along at a spanking pace.↗ · A spanking breeze filled the sails of the little boat.↗ · Smacking and spanking children is now banned in Scotland and Wales.↗ · Our school has a spanking new gym.↗

spanner — Everyday, meaning 1: A spanner is a metal tool for turning nuts and bolts to make them tight or loose.↗ Example: Dad used a spanner to fix my bike.↗ · Pass me the spanner, please.↗ · Turn the spanner to tighten the nut.↗ · The plumber has a big spanner.↗ · The rain threw a spanner in the works of our picnic.↗ · Use the right size spanner for the nut.↗

spar — Everyday, meaning 1: A spar is a long pole, such as the wooden beam of a ship's mast or a piece of wood holding up a sail.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spar is a kind of shiny crystal rock found in caves.↗ Example: The boy held on to a broken spar in the sea.↗ · The cave walls were decorated with sparkling spar.↗ · The sailor lashed the spar to the mast.↗ · Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.↗ (Prophets EZK.20.17, JPS 1917)↗ · He levelled a path for His anger; He spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; (Writings PSA.78.50, JPS 1917)↗ · And though the Lord give you sparing bread and scant water, yet shall not thy Teacher hide Himself any more, but thine eyes shall see thy Teacher; (Prophets ISA.30.20, JPS 1917)↗

spare — Everyday, meaning 1: Spare means extra, kept in case it is needed, not being used now: a spare key, a spare tyre.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spare time is free time when you are not working.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To spare is to give something you do not need: «can you spare a pencil?».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To spare someone is to not hurt them, or to save them from something.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: «To spare» means left over: «we got there with ten minutes to spare».↗ Everyday, meaning 6: Spare no expense means to spend as much money as is needed, without holding back.↗ Example: He has 2 spare tyres.↗ · Each child needs 1 pencil and 5 are spare.↗ · Can you spare 3 apples?↗ · How many spare seats are there?↗ · Pack a spare pair of socks for the camp.↗ · What do you do in your spare time?↗ · We reached the station with five minutes to spare.↗ · The knight spared the dragon's life.↗ · Our neighbour keeps a spare key for us.↗ · We don't want any expense spared.↗ · thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him; (Torah DEU.13.8, JPS 1917)↗ · Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare to slay the nations continually?↗ (Prophets HAB.1.17, JPS 1917)↗ · And the LORD said unto Satan: 'Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.'↗ (Writings JOB.2.6, JPS 1917)↗ · They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.↗ (Writings JOB.30.10, JPS 1917)↗

sparingly — Everyday, meaning 1: Using only a little of something; carefully and not wastefully.↗ Example: Use the glue sparingly or it will make a mess.↗ · Eat sweets sparingly.↗ · Water was used sparingly during the drought.↗ · Apply the cream sparingly to the rash.↗ · The writer used capital letters sparingly.↗ · She praised us sparingly, so her praise meant a lot.↗

spark — Everyday, meaning 1: A spark is a tiny bright bit of fire or burning material that flies from a fire or when hard things hit.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spark is a quick flash of electricity jumping across a gap.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To spark something is to start it: spark an idea, spark a fight.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A spark of something is a small amount of it: a spark of hope.↗ Example: Sparks flew from the campfire.↗ · Rubbing your feet on the carpet can make a tiny spark.↗ · A spark from the plug started a fire.↗ · The book sparked my interest in space.↗ · Lightning is a giant electric spark.↗ · There was a spark of hope in her eyes.↗ · Sparks flew when the two teams met.↗ · Sparklers give off lots of sparks.↗ · Now he could see glowing sparks, and vivid jets of flame.↗ · But man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.↗ (Writings JOB.5.7, JPS 1917)↗ · Out of his mouth go burning torches, and sparks of fire leap forth.↗ (Writings JOB.41.11, JPS 1917)↗ · Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.↗ (Writings JOB.18.5, JPS 1917)↗

sparkle — Everyday, meaning 1: To sparkle is to shine with many small, bright flashes of light, like glitter, stars, jewels or water in sunlight.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sparkle is a small, bright flash of light.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Sparkle is liveliness and fun in a person or a show.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «Sparkling» drinks have bubbles.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: When a person's eyes sparkle, they show a strong feeling such as joy, mischief or spite.↗ Example: The snow sparkled in the sunlight.↗ · Her eyes sparkled with excitement.↗ · The diamond ring sparkled.↗ · The kitchen was sparkling clean after we tidied up.↗ · Would you like still or sparkling water?↗ · Add glitter to give your card some sparkle.↗ · And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot; and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.↗ (Prophets EZK.1.7, JPS 1917)↗

sparkler — Everyday, meaning 1: A sparkler is a thin wire stick covered with a firework mix that burns slowly and throws off bright sparks when you hold it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sparkler can also mean something that sparkles, like a shiny jewel, or a sparkling drink.↗ Example: We wrote our names in the air with sparklers.↗ · Hold the sparkler at arm's length.↗ · Put the used sparkler into the bucket of water.↗ · Wear gloves when you hold a sparkler.↗ · The birthday cake had a sparkler on top.↗ · On Bonfire Night we had sparklers in the garden.↗ · A sparkler can stay hot for minutes after it goes out.↗ · Only one sparkler at a time, please.↗

sparkly — Everyday, meaning 1: Sparkly means shining with lots of tiny flashes of light, like glitter, sequins, frost or diamonds.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Sparkly can also mean lively, bright and full of fun: a sparkly personality.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Sparkly drinks are fizzy ones.↗ Example: She wore a sparkly dress to the party.↗ · We made sparkly Christmas cards with glitter.↗ · The snow was sparkly in the sun.↗ · My little sister loves sparkly shoes.↗ · The fairy had a sparkly wand.↗ · He has sparkly eyes when he laughs.↗ · The frost made the grass look sparkly.↗

sparring — Everyday, meaning 1: In boxing and martial arts, sparring is practice fighting with a partner, using light hits and safety gear, to train, not to hurt.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Sparring is also arguing in a friendly or not very serious way, trading quick clever remarks.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To spar means to do that practice fighting, or to argue with someone.↗ Example: We have sparring practice at karate on Fridays.↗ · You must wear a head guard for sparring.↗ · The boxer's sparring partner helped him get ready.↗ · The two friends enjoy sparring about football.↗ · The leaders sparred on TV about taxes.↗ · In taekwondo sparring, you score points for kicks.↗ · Sparring is not real fighting; we stop when the coach says.↗

sparrow — Everyday, meaning 1: A sparrow is a small, common, brown and grey bird that lives near houses, gardens and towns and eats seeds and insects.↗ Example: A sparrow hopped across the playground.↗ · Sparrows were eating crumbs under the picnic table.↗ · The house sparrow is a small brown bird.↗ · We put out seeds for the sparrows in winter.↗ · A flock of sparrows chattered in the hedge.↗ · Sparrows build nests under roofs.↗ · "They are sparrows, and good creatures.↗ · I watch, and am become like a sparrow that is alone upon the housetop.↗ (Writings PSA.102.8, JPS 1917)↗ · As the wandering sparrow, as the flying swallow, so the curse that is causeless shall come home.↗ (Writings PRO.26.2, JPS 1917)↗ · Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young; Thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God — .↗ (Writings PSA.84.4, JPS 1917)↗

spartan — Everyday, meaning 1: (history) A Spartan was a person from Sparta, a city in ancient Greece famous for its tough soldiers and strict training.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: adjective (lower case): Very simple and plain, without comfort or decoration: a spartan room.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: adjective.↗ e.g. Strict, tough and self-disciplined.↗ Example: Spartan boys left home at seven to train as soldiers.↗ · The Spartans fought bravely at Thermopylae.↗ · The hostel room was spartan, with just a bed and a chair.↗ · Grandad lives a spartan life — no TV and cold showers.↗ · Athens and Sparta were rivals in ancient Greece.↗ · Our school team is called the Spartans.↗ · But when the sun went down, there was not one Spartan left alive.↗

spasm — Everyday, meaning 1: A sudden tightening of a muscle that you cannot control, which may hurt.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sudden short burst of a feeling or action, like a spasm of coughing or of anger.↗ Example: He felt a spasm in his leg near the end of the race.↗ · A spasm of coughing stopped her from speaking.↗ · Hiccups are spasms of the muscle under your lungs.↗ · Gentle stretching can ease a muscle spasm.↗ · A spasm of fear went through him when the light went out.↗ · Her back went into spasm when she lifted the box.↗

spat — Everyday, meaning 1: Spat is the past form of «spit»: to force liquid, food or saliva out of your mouth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spat is a short, small argument or quarrel.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Spats (old-fashioned) are cloth covers worn over the top of shoes.↗ Example: He spat out the sour sweet.↗ · The llama spat at the visitor!↗ · The cat hissed and spat.↗ · «Go away!» she spat angrily.↗ · My sister and I had a spat over the TV remote.↗ · The fire spat sparks onto the rug.↗ · In revenge the Serpent spat some of his poison into the man's drinking-horn.↗

spatial — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: To do with space, meaning where things are placed or how they are arranged.↗ Example: There is also a spatial-anatomical parallelism between the terms employed by the SY: the tongue concealed above, the genitals concealed below.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

spatula — Everyday, meaning 1: A spatula is a kitchen tool with a wide, flat, bendy blade, used for spreading, mixing, scraping or lifting food.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spatula is also a small flat tool used in science labs to scoop powders, or by doctors to press down your tongue.↗ Example: Flip the pancake with a spatula.↗ · She scraped the last of the cake mix out with a spatula.↗ · Use the spatula to spread the icing.↗ · In science we took one spatula of salt.↗ · The doctor pressed my tongue with a wooden spatula.↗ · Don't use a metal spatula on a non-stick pan.↗ · Dad lifted the burger onto the bun with a spatula.↗

spawn — Everyday, meaning 1: When fish or frogs spawn, they lay lots of eggs in water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spawn is the mass of eggs laid by fish, frogs or toads, like frogspawn.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To spawn something means to cause many new things to appear, as in the film spawned three sequels.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (games) In video games, to spawn means for a player or character to appear in the game world; the spawn point is where they appear.↗ Example: Frogs spawn in ponds in early spring.↗ · We saw a clump of frogspawn in the school pond.↗ · Salmon swim up the river to spawn.↗ · The film spawned a whole series of toys.↗ · In the game you spawn next to a castle.↗ · After you lose a life, you respawn at the last checkpoint.↗ · Zombies spawn at night in that game.↗