spadeful

[ speyd-foo l ]

/ ˈspeɪd fʊl /

the amount that can be dug out with or carried on a spade.

Nearby words

First recorded in 1635–45; spade¹ + -ful

A spadeful of the most productive soil does not to the eye differ much from the same quantity taken from the most barren.
Shelley at Oxford|Thomas Jefferson Hogg
He became so absorbed in his job, that he did not look where his spadeful went, and it struck his dear wife full in the breast.
Welsh Fairy Tales|William Elliott Griffis
He made a sign to the drummer, who handed him a paddle, with which he turned over a spadeful of earth.
Adventures Among the Red Indians|H. W. G. Hyrst
I cant budge a spadeful of this hard ground, Betty, complained Ruth, as her companion joined her.
Girl Scouts at Dandelion Camp|Lillian Elizabeth Roy

Every spadeful of earth was carefully examined, and the probe thrust down anxiously and with great caution.
Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 1 (of 2)|John Roby