spadework
/ˈspeɪdwəːk
/noun [mass noun]
Hard or routine preparatory work: there were a few young recruits on hand to help with the spadework...
- Why not let the other side do all the hard political spadework of introducing new taxes and then spend the revenue when it's your turn in office?
- This diplomatic spadework laid the foundation for the surgical and successful military operation that slivered Pakistan in late 1971.
- Boasting of his good economic management’ fails to give credit to all the good spadework done by years of Labour governments.
Synonyms
preliminary work, preparations, planning, groundwork, foundations, homework, preliminaries, provision, preparatory measures;
hard work, donkey work, labour, drudgery, slog, toil, hard labour, sweated labour, hack work, chores, exertion
informal grind, sweat, elbow grease
British informal graft
archaic travail, moil
- savings book
- savings box
- savings certificate
- saving scheme
- savings institution
- savings rate
- savings ratio
- savings scheme
- savin-leaved
- savin oil
- savin top
- savior
- savior's blanket
- savior's flannel
- saviour
- saviouress
- saviour's blanket
- saviour's flannel
- saviourship
- saviour sibling
- Savi's warbler
- savoir faire
- savoir vivre
- Savonarola, Girolamo
- Savonarolan