spikes

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
spike1

▶noun

• 1 a thin pointed piece of metal or another rigid material.

  ■ a large stout nail, especially one used to fasten a rail to a railway sleeper.

  ■ each of several metal points set into the sole of a sports shoe to prevent slipping.

  ■ (spikes) a pair of sports shoes with spikes.

  ■ chiefly Brit. a pointed metal rod standing on a base and used for filing bills or journalistic material rejected for publication.

• 2 a sharp increase in magnitude or intensity.

  ■ Electronics a pulse of very short duration.

• 3 Brit. informal the casual ward of a hostel offering temporary accommodation for the homeless.

▶verb

• 1 impale on or pierce with a spike.

  ■ historical render (a gun) useless by plugging up the vent with a spike.

• 2 form into or cover with sharp points.

• 3 (of a newspaper editor) reject (a story) by or as if by filing it on a spike.

  ■ thwart.

• 4 informal lace (drink or food) with alcohol or a drug surreptitiously.

  ■ Physics & Chemistry enrich with a particular isotope.

• 5 increase and then decrease sharply.

• 6 (in volleyball) hit (the ball) forcefully from a position near the net so that it moves downward into the opposite court.

  ■ American Football fling (the ball) forcefully to the ground, typically in celebration of a touchdown or victory.

– phrases
spike someone's guns Brit. thwart someone's plans.

– origin ME: perh. from Mid. Low Ger., MDu. spiker, rel. to spoke1.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
spike2

▶noun Botany a flower cluster formed of many flower heads attached directly to a long stem.

– origin ME (denoting an ear of corn): from L. spica (see spica).