# What is it with American spades? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700 "2015-06-16T21:16:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/41 "2015-06-17T14:01:39Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I’d call the WD example a shovel, not a spade. A spade is a hand held shovel. What do you hold a shovel with? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/42 "2015-06-17T14:08:18Z")
A crew is digging up a work site next to a convent. One day, the Mother Superior comes out to talk to the supervisor. “Excuse me sir, do you think there’s any way you could ask your men to tone down their behavior? We have many nuns here who are not used to such salty language.” “I’m sorry Mother Superior. I’ll do what I can, but you must understand these are simple, rough, working class men. They call a spade a spade.” “But that’s the problem! They don’t call it a spade, they call it a fucking shovel.” ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/43 "2015-06-17T14:08:24Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What do you hold a shovel with? 😕 I meant a short handle.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/44 "2015-06-17T14:39:01Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > We call them shovels, spades is for cards and maybe the small shovel in a fireplace set? I think there is a difference between the two, and not everyone uses the terms interchangeably. I know a shovel is better for scooping and a spade for edging. I always think of a spade as the one with the flat edge, but I’m not really a gardener. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/45 "2015-06-17T14:41:01Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I’d call the WD example a shovel, not a spade. A spade is a hand held shovel. That’s called a trowel (not to be confused with the flat trowels used in applying mortar—that’s an entirely different tool). See the very bottom entry on this article on Gizmodo: [8 Types of Shovels Everyone Should Know.](http://gizmodo.com/5994728/the-8-types-of-shovels-everyone-should-know) ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/46 "2015-06-17T15:24:47Z")
> [@Stealth\_Bragg](#): > > More importantly, what is it with the GROUND in your good ole US of A? In all the documentary movie films I’ve watched (Evil Dead, Walking Dead, etc) it seems like the protagonist just shovels dirt around like it’s small pieces of coal, nice and loose and dry. Every grave I’ve dug for the undead has been a nightmare of wet soil, lumps of clay and stones every shovel full. Again, fiction. It’s not interesting to watch our heroes spend more time than the running length of the movie digging holes. I assure you that actually digging holes in the US is a giant pain in the rear. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/47 "2015-06-17T15:29:49Z")
Certainly all of the digging I did as a child in New England in my parents’ gardens involved many, many rocks and stones. (I was told that the glaciers deposited many stones throughout New England.) And I’m always impressed in movies and TV shows when people dig holes by hand they get perfectly straight walls. None of my holes ever looked that neat. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/48 "2015-06-17T15:37:37Z")
I lived in Hawaii for a time and just try digging a hole in most places there - you get about a foot of topsoil (if you’re lucky) and then it’s lava… all the way down. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/49 "2015-06-17T16:13:24Z")
See, I always figured a spade was a type of shovel. Specifically, the type that looks like a spade, with a round, pointy end. There are short handle ones and long handled ones and hand spades for gardening. And then there are all those other types of shovels with flat ends. Scoops, snow shovels, and [this guy](http://www.amazon.com/True-Temper-1564200-Square-American/dp/B004QAT3HQ). See that little lip on the metal part of the square shovel in that link? That’s far more important than a dumb handle on the other end. I’ve sliced my boots up trying to dig with shovels that didn’t have that. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/50 "2015-06-17T16:25:30Z")
So, what exactly is the purpose of the handle on a “spade”, other to hang it up in the tool shed? ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/51 "2015-06-17T18:04:06Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > So, what exactly is the purpose of the handle on a “spade”, other to hang it up in the tool shed? It’s a substitute for using your feet to drive it down. It’s a better mechanical pivot point if you don’t have room for a longer handle. It’s useful to have when squaring off holes because you can control your angle better. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/52 "2015-06-17T18:05:36Z")
> [@Didactylos](#): > > Big rock candy mountain: > “There ain’t no short-handled shovels, > No axes, saws nor picks, > I’m bound to stay > Where you sleep all day, > Where they hung the jerk > That invented work > In the Big Rock Candy Mountains …” > > You might have heard it right at the start of “O Brother where art Thou?”, right after they escape from the chain gang. > I figured the “short handled” was so they were less effective weapons in the hands of an unruly prisoner. Bingo, thanks. I remember it now from the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/53 "2015-06-17T19:44:42Z")
The only thing I want to add is, that for bashing zombies, the long, straight handle is far superior. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/54 "2015-06-17T20:08:38Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > As someone who spends/has spent a good deal of time digging and working in holes > > This a spade. It is what I use to cut the sod > > This is a shovel. It is the preferred digging tool and usually used when I have sufficient space. > > This is a short handled shovel It is what I use in the trenches because it’s easier to maneuver in tight spaces. > > This is an army shovel. I prefer the American Vietnam style ones. This is what I use in really tight quarters and fine detail work around underground lines. > > This is a mattock. and this is a digging bar both are used on soil that in uncooperative. Amen. Except that when the “blade” is at an angle it becomes a hoe. And I learned a new word “mattock”. Thanks ! ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/55 "2015-06-17T20:17:26Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > These are the definitions I’m familar with from growing up in Iowa. In addition there are specalist versions: > > [The scoop shovel](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=scoop+shovel&tbm=isch&imgil=1UteHFpSZKy0qM%253A%253BFkoXk8Ll2CcaGM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fgardennaturally.wordpress.com%25252Fcategory%25252Fgarden-tools%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=1UteHFpSZKy0qM%253A%252CFkoXk8Ll2CcaGM%252C_&biw=1069&bih=725&usg= __AYShjHbC8ClxW_GwMjmUCQ4bn9A%3D&ved=0CC8QyjdqFQoTCLTkyujNlsYCFccj2wodkx0A0Q&ei=vVeBVfSRLMfH7AaTu4CIDQ#imgrc=1UteHFpSZKy0qM%253A%3BFkoXk8Ll2CcaGM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fgardennaturally.files.wordpress.com%252F2011%252F01%252Fweeder-scoop-shovel.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fgardennaturally.wordpress.com%252Fcategory%252Fgarden-tools%252F%3B265%3B265&usg=__ AYShjHbC8ClxW_GwMjmUCQ4bn9A%3D) > > and the > > [snow shovel](http://www.parrs.co.uk/facilities-maintenance-c8/ice-snow-flood-control-c433/shovels-scoops-pushers-c70/snow-shovels-spade-pp1601?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=snow-shovels-description-large-snow-shovel-blade-size-mm-550-x-345-description-large-snow-shovel-blade-size-mm-550-x-345-handle-ht-mm-1300-ese166&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&gclid=CLqxp7nOlsYCFWvHtAod1XkAkQ) Is a ‘pick’ (as in picks and shovels) the same as a mattock? That’s what I would call it. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/56 "2015-06-17T21:55:46Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > Is a ‘pick’ (as in picks and shovels) the same as a mattock? That’s what I would call it. [Not](http://www.hatchetsandaxes.com/difference_between_mattock_and_pickaxe) [really](http://www.easydigging.com/pick-mattock-cutter.html). ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/57 "2015-06-18T00:57:44Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > You call spades shovels? Shovels and spades are different tools, with differently-shaped blades; one designed for cutting into the ground, one for lifting material. A little more complicated than that but you are damn close. [http://gizmodo.com/5994728/the-8-types-of-shovels-everyone-should-know](http://gizmodo.com/5994728/the-8-types-of-shovels-everyone-should-know) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/58 "2015-06-18T02:15:58Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > > [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > > > Is a ‘pick’ (as in picks and shovels) the same as a mattock? That’s what I would call it. > > [Not](http://www.hatchetsandaxes.com/difference_between_mattock_and_pickaxe) [really](http://www.easydigging.com/pick-mattock-cutter.html). Of course, the crew boss that berated me for using the term “round point shovel” would have sneered at referring to a “grub hoe” as a “mattock.” ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700/59 "2015-06-18T03:42:51Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Of course, the crew boss that berated me for using the term “round point shovel” would have sneered at referring to a “grub hoe” as a “mattock.” I often use grub hoe to describe a mattock. A grub hoe is has a blade on only one side so they are different I guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-with-american-spades/722700.md?page=2)