Prep vs Spadework - What's the difference?
prep | spadework | Synonyms |
(countable) Preparation.
(informal, countable) A student or graduate of a prep school, a preppy.
(British, uncountable) Homework, work set to do outside class time, used widely in public schools and preparatory schools but not state schools.
(informal) To prepare.
Work done by digging with a spade.
(figuratively) Work done in preparation for something else.
* There's a lot of spadework to be done before the scheme can be implemented.
* {{quote-book
, year=1960
, author=
, title=(Jeeves in the Offing)
, section=chapter VIII
, passage=Removing a portion of chair which had got entangled in my back hair, I said with a candour that became me well: “I was looking for a mouse.” If she had replied, “Ah, yes, indeed. I understand now. A mouse, to be sure. Quite,” everything would have been nice and smooth, but she didn't. “A mouse?” she said. “What do you mean?” Well, of course, if she didn't know what a mouse was, there was evidently a good deal of tedious spadework before us, and one would scarcely have known where to start.}}