spadework
noun
1 spadework
Dull or routine preliminary work preparing for an undertaking.
Dutch: pionierswerk
Moby thesaurus: arrangement, basic training, briefing, clearing the decks, dirty work, donkeywork, drudgery, employment, equipment, fag, familiarization, fatigue, fixing, foundation, grind, groundwork, handiwork, handwork, industry, labor, lick, lick of work, makeready, making ready, manual labor, manufacture, mobilization, moil, planning, prearrangement, preliminaries, preliminary, preliminary act, preliminary step, prep, preparation, preparatory study, preparing, prepping, prerequisite, pretreatment, processing, propaedeutic, provision, rat race, readying, scut work, slavery, stroke, stroke of work, sweat, task, tiresome work, toil, training, travail, treadmill, treatment, trial, tryout, warm-up, work ... show more.
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