Definition of "spad"

SPAD Special Advisor

1997 November, Reddy Hannah with Wimbush, Angela and Linesberry, Debbie, “Abbreviations and Acronyms”, in Dr. Russell G. Swenson, editor, Defense and Intelligence Abbreviations and Acronyms‎, Washington, DC: Joint Military Intelligence College, archived from the original on 18 September 2017, page 192

A successful stint as a spad can be a crucial political apprenticeship - as many of the current crop of professional politicians including the Miliband brothers, David Cameron and George Osborne can testify - so long as they stay in the dark.

2009, Ben Wright, Hidden world of the political advisers‎, BBC

The hit BBC sitcom satirising the inner workings of Whitehall and the so-called spads contains "more than a grain of truth", the head of the cross-party public administration select committee has warned.

2012, Avoid The Thick of It-style spad appointments, ministers told, The Guardian

No. 6.—Spadonas or spads, the first wing-quills of the chick, clipped at about six months.

1911 September, contributed by Cyphers Incubator Co., “Ostrich Farming in South Africa”, in American Poultry World, volume II, number 11, Buffalo, N.Y.: American Poultry Publishing Co., page 966

RAW OSTRICH FEATHERS / Primes, Wings, White Feminas, Spads, Etc.

1921 September 7, The New York Times, volume LXX, number 23,237, New York, N.Y., page 24, column 6

“What d’you mean—‘feathers’,” asked the tanned young public school man who volunteered to trot me round, “spads, second-after-chicks, fancies, natals, black butts, adults, juvenals, byocks, chicks, primes, feminas, or what?” […] The first white ones we call spads. […] Two or three months after that clipping we pull out the spad quills.

1924 February 12, “On Ostrich Feathers”, in The Manchester Guardian, number 24,175, page 6, column 4

An improvement was noted in the demand for femina wings, spads and long bodies;

1959, The Standard Bank Review, The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, page 15