Definition of "spadework" [spadework]

• Work requiring a spade. (noun)
• Preparatory work necessary for a project or an activity. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "At her Sydney farewell in 1990, she thanked Richard Bonynge – her husband, conductor and vocal trainer – for his "spadework", as if she were a shrub that required mulching."
• "No, not funny, but for what its worth, Rush was/is playing off the fact that Hillary said that Obama has not done the "spadework" necessary to be president on the Today show."
• "Bedding and Saul were no longer needed to track down registered owners of BMW X5's and were back at their usual assignment: post-crime canvassing, "spadework," as it was called."