📖 S — The English dictionary · page 79

spicery — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: Spices, or a mixture of sweet-smelling plant goods that were traded.↗ Example: And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and ladanum, going to carry it down to Egypt.↗ (Torah GEN.37.25, JPS 1917)↗

spick — Everyday, meaning 1: (old use) «Spick and span» means very clean, neat and tidy, as if brand new.↗ Example: Everything in the house was spick and span.↗ · Geppetto stood there, spick and span in his new clothes.↗

spicy — Everyday, meaning 1: Spicy food has a strong, hot or rich taste because it contains spices such as chilli or pepper.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) A spicy story or piece of news is a bit shocking, exciting or naughty.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Spicy can also describe a sweet, warm smell like that of spices.↗ Example: This curry is too spicy for me.↗ · Do you want the mild sauce or the spicy one?↗ · Drink some milk if your mouth burns from spicy food.↗ · Chilli makes the soup spicier.↗ · The spiciest wings made Dad's eyes water.↗ · She told me some spicy gossip about the new teacher.↗ · Spicy food is popular in many countries.↗

spider — Everyday, meaning 1: A spider is a small animal with 8 legs that spins webs of silk to catch insects.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spiders are not insects; they belong to a group called arachnids.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Most spiders are harmless to people, but a few, like some in Australia, have a dangerous bite.↗ Example: A spider has 8 legs.↗ · How many legs do 5 spiders have?↗ · There are spiders and beetles with 70 legs.↗ · She saw 3 spiders in the web.↗ · A spider is not an insect because it has 8 legs.↗ · The spider spun a web between two branches.↗ · Incy Wincy Spider climbed up the water spout.↗ · In Australia, do not touch a redback spider.↗ · "Good father Spider! please not to kill me.↗ · Whose confidence is gossamer, and whose trust is a spider's web.↗ (Writings JOB.8.14, JPS 1917)↗ · The spider thou canst take with the hands, yet is she in kings' palaces.↗ (Writings PRO.30.28, JPS 1917)↗ · They hatch basilisks' eggs, and weave the spider's web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.↗ (Prophets ISA.59.5, JPS 1917)↗

spike — Everyday, meaning 1: A spike is a thin, sharp point, like on a fence, a cactus or a hedgehog.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spike is a sudden, sharp rise: «a spike in temperature».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To spike means to rise suddenly, or to stick a sharp point into something.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb, informal) To spike a drink means to secretly put alcohol or a drug in it, which is dangerous and against the law.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Spikes are running shoes with short metal points on the bottom for grip.↗ Example: The cactus is covered in sharp spikes.↗ · The fence had spikes on top to stop people climbing.↗ · There was a spike in the graph when we started running.↗ · The temperature spiked in the afternoon.↗ · Sprinters wear spikes for better grip.↗ · She jumped and spiked the volleyball over the net.↗ · Never leave your drink alone, in case someone spikes it.↗ · The cleric spiked forward his chin, and then butted forward his brow.↗

spikenard — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A sweet-smelling oil or perfume made from the root of a plant from the Himalayan mountains.↗ Example: While the king sat at his table, my spikenard sent forth its fragrance.↗ (Writings SNG.1.12, JPS 1917)↗ · Thy shoots are a park of pomegranates, with precious fruits; henna with spikenard plants, (Writings SNG.4.13, JPS 1917)↗ · Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.↗ (Writings SNG.4.14, JPS 1917)↗

spiky — Everyday, meaning 1: Something spiky has many sharp points sticking out: a spiky cactus, a spiky shell.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spiky hair is stiff and sticks up in points.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) A spiky person is easily annoyed and unfriendly.↗ Example: Hedgehogs have spiky backs.↗ · Don't touch the cactus, it's very spiky.↗ · He used gel to make his hair spiky.↗ · The conker case is green and spiky.↗ · A spiky shape has lots of points, like a star.↗ · Grandpa gets a bit spiky when he is tired.↗ · The sea urchin is the spikiest thing in the rock pool.↗

spill — Everyday, meaning 1: To spill means to let a liquid or small pieces fall out of a container by accident.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spill is liquid or stuff that has been spilled.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To spill also means to come out over the edge: «crowds spilled into the street».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «Spill the beans» means to tell a secret.↗ Example: Oops, I spilled my juice on the table!↗ · Wipe up that spill before someone slips.↗ · Carry your cup carefully so it doesn't spill.↗ · Hot tea spilled on his hand and burned him.↗ · The oil spill hurt many seabirds.↗ · Rice spilled all over the floor.↗ · Come on, spill the beans, who is it?↗ · Don't cry over spilt milk.↗ · The water was all spilled upon the ground.↗ · And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it came to pass when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.↗ (Torah GEN.38.9, JPS 1917)↗

spillage — Everyday, meaning 1: A spillage is an amount of liquid or other stuff that has spilled out by accident.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spillage is the act of spilling, as in "oil spillage".↗ Example: Please tell a teacher about any spillage in the lab.↗ · There was a milk spillage in the dinner hall.↗ · A yellow sign warned of a spillage on the shop floor.↗ · The oil spillage killed hundreds of seabirds.↗ · The cleaners mopped up the spillage straight away.↗ · The lorry crashed and caused a spillage of paint on the road.↗

spin — Everyday, meaning 1: To spin is to turn round and round quickly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To spin something is to make it turn round quickly, like a top.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To spin is to make thread by twisting fibres, or (for spiders) to make a web.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A spin is a short ride in a car or on a bike for fun.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: If your head spins, you feel dizzy or confused.↗ Example: The Earth spins once every day.↗ · The top spun on the table.↗ · Spiders spin webs to catch flies.↗ · My head is spinning from all that information.↗ · Let's go for a spin on our bikes.↗ · She spun round when she heard her name.↗ · In the past, people spun wool on a spinning wheel.↗ · Spin, sew, and weave--that is all your learning.↗ · And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen.↗ (Torah EXO.35.25, JPS 1917)↗

spinach — Everyday, meaning 1: Spinach is a dark green leafy vegetable that can be eaten raw in salads or cooked.↗ Example: Mum puts spinach in the pasta sauce.↗ · Popeye eats spinach to get strong.↗ · A big pile of spinach shrinks to a small spoonful when you cook it.↗ · We grew spinach in the school garden.↗ · Baby spinach is nice in a salad.↗ · Spinach has lots of vitamins.↗ · And certainly it was a cow, a fine red cow, fat and flourishing, and looking as if it had been fed all its days on spinach.↗

spinal — Everyday, meaning 1: To do with the spine (backbone) or the spinal cord.↗ Example: The spinal cord carries messages from the brain to the body.↗ · The spinal column is made of small bones called vertebrae.↗ · Never dive into shallow water — you could get a spinal injury.↗ · A helmet and seat belt help prevent spinal injuries.↗ · Fish, birds and mammals have spinal columns.↗ · After the accident, he needed spinal surgery.↗ · Don't move someone who might have a spinal injury.↗ · The nurse explained what the spinal cord does.↗

spindle — Everyday, meaning 1: A thin, pointed stick used in hand spinning to twist wool or other fibres into thread.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A rod or pin in a machine that turns round, or around which something turns.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (adjective form spindly) Long and thin, like spindly legs.↗ Example: The princess pricked her finger on the spindle.↗ · The woman twisted the wool onto her spindle.↗ · The spinning wheel has a spindle that turns very fast.↗ · Spiders have long, spindly legs.↗ · The door handle fell off its spindle.↗ · Before mills, all thread was made with a spindle.↗ · This good woman had never heard of the King's proclamation against spindles.↗ · She layeth her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.↗ (Writings PRO.31.19, JPS 1917)↗

spine — Everyday, meaning 1: The row of small bones (vertebrae) down the middle of your back, also called the backbone.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A sharp, pointed part on an animal or plant, like the spines of a hedgehog or a cactus.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: The back edge of a book, where the pages are joined and the title is usually printed.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Courage: having the spine to do something.↗ Example: Your spine is made of 33 small bones.↗ · Hedgehogs have sharp spines.↗ · Careful — cactus spines are prickly.↗ · Read the title on the spine of the book.↗ · Animals with a spine are called vertebrates.↗ · The ghost story sent shivers down my spine.↗ · Sit up straight to look after your spine.↗ · A fish's spine runs from its head to its tail.↗ · They climbed up the dragon's side and dumped the children down on his icy spine, with their backs against the North Pole.↗

spinner — Everyday, meaning 1: A spinner is a thing that spins, like a game spinner with a pointer that shows a number or colour.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In cricket, a spinner is a bowler who makes the ball spin.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A spinner is a person who spins wool or thread.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A fidget spinner is a small toy that spins on your finger.↗ Example: Spin the spinner to see how many spaces to move.↗ · The spinner landed on red three times.↗ · On a spinner with 6 equal parts, the chance of blue is 1 in 6.↗ · Australia's spinner took five wickets.↗ · My fidget spinner whirls for a minute.↗ · In the old days, spinners made thread from wool.↗ · ‘Why didn’t you come?’ he asked the pretty spinner.↗

spinning — Everyday, meaning 1: Spinning means turning round and round quickly on the spot.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Spinning is making thread by twisting wool or cotton fibres, like on a spinning wheel.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A spider is spinning when it makes silk to build a web.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: If your head is spinning, you feel dizzy or very confused.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Spinning is also an exercise on a bike that stays in one place.↗ Example: The Earth is spinning all the time.↗ · The top kept spinning on the table.↗ · We were spinning round on the playground roundabout.↗ · The spider was spinning a web in the corner.↗ · After the ride my head was spinning.↗ · Keep your fingers away from the spinning fan.↗ · In the fairy tale, the princess pricked her finger on a spinning wheel.↗ · The washing machine is spinning the clothes dry.↗ · A young housewife was spinning late one evening.↗

spinster — Everyday, meaning 1: A spinster is a woman who has never married, usually an older one (old-fashioned).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use) A spinster was once a woman whose job was spinning thread.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In old legal papers spinster was the word for an unmarried woman (law, old).↗ Example: In the old story, the spinster lived alone with her cats.↗ · Great-aunt Molly was a spinster all her life and loved travelling.↗ · The marriage record called her «spinster» because she had not been married before.↗ · Long ago spinsters spun wool into thread.↗ · Calling someone «an old spinster» is rude.↗ · The book is about two spinster sisters who run a shop.↗ · “Oh dear, oh dear,” cried Wendy, “I’m sure I sometimes think that spinsters are to be envied.”↗

spiny — Everyday, meaning 1: Spiny means covered with spines — sharp, stiff points like thorns or prickles.↗ Example: A hedgehog has a spiny back.↗ · The echidna, or spiny anteater, lives in Australia.↗ · Cactuses have spiny stems to stop animals eating them.↗ · Don't step on that spiny sea urchin.↗ · The spiny fish puffed itself up.↗ · Holly leaves are spiny at the edges.↗ · Spiny lobsters have no big claws, just spiky shells.↗

spiracle — Everyday, meaning 1: A spiracle is a tiny breathing hole in the side of an insect's or spider's body.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In some fish, like sharks and rays, and in whales, a spiracle is a breathing opening on the head (a whale's blowhole is sometimes called this).↗ Example: Insects breathe through spiracles.↗ · We saw the spiracles on the caterpillar's side with a magnifying glass.↗ · Air enters through the spiracles and travels down tubes.↗ · A stingray has spiracles behind its eyes.↗ · Spiracles can close to keep water out.↗ · Insects have no lungs, only spiracles and air tubes.↗

spiral — Everyday, meaning 1: A spiral is a curve that winds round and round a centre point, getting further away or closer each time, like the shape of a snail shell.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A spiral is also a shape that winds upward like a spring or a corkscrew: «a spiral staircase».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To spiral means to move in a spiral, or to get quickly worse or bigger: «prices spiralled».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (figurative) «A downward spiral» is when things keep getting worse.↗ Example: A snail's shell is a spiral.↗ · We climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the tower.↗ · The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.↗ · The leaf spiralled down to the ground.↗ · Sunflower seeds grow in spirals.↗ · Write it in your spiral notebook.↗ · Prices spiralled when there was not enough food.↗ · The staircase was of cast iron, spiral, broad and easy.↗