spots

Everyday

1. Small round marks or patches of a different colour on something, like the spots on a ladybird or a Dalmatian. tree →
2. Small red bumps on the skin, such as pimples or the rash of chickenpox. tree →
3. Places, as in good spots for a picnic or parking spots. tree →
4. As a verb, spots means notices or sees something, often something hard to see: she spots a mistake. tree →

In the lessons

In science, spots describe animals and patterns (leopards have spots, a ladybird has black spots); in health lessons, spots on the skin can be a sign of an illness like chickenpox or measles; in everyday life we talk about spots on clothes (stains) and parking spots. In stories, "he spots a shadow" tells the reader a character noticed something important. Phrases: "spots and stripes", "come out in spots", "hot spots", "a tight spot" (a difficult situation), "on the spot" (right away, or right there).

Examples

• The leopard has dark spots all over its fur. tree →
• My little brother came out in itchy spots when he had chickenpox. tree →
• There are two red spots of paint on my sleeve. tree →
• We found three good spots to put up the tent. tree →
• Mum spots a free parking space and drives in. tree →
• Sam always spots the hidden animal in the picture first. tree →
• A ladybird with seven spots landed on my hand. tree →
• The teacher spots that I forgot to carry the one. tree →
• The Leopard exhibited one by one the various spots which decorated his skin. tree →

Note

Spots is the plural of the noun "spot" and also the "he/she/it" form of the verb "spot" (spotted, spotting with double t). In British English "spots" often means pimples; Americans more often say "pimples" or "zits". Spotted can mean "seen" or "covered in spots" (a spotted dress). "On the spot" means immediately, not on a stain. If a problem says "a ladybird has 7 spots", count each spot as one; "spots" on dice are the dots that show the number.

In Jewish tradition

In Leviticus these are pale patches on the skin that a priest examines to decide if a person is clean or unclean. Jeremiah uses the leopard's spots in a saying: they cannot be changed, just as people used to doing evil find it hard to change.

Interpretation. The priest, not a doctor, judged them. If the spots were a dull white, he declared the person clean, since this was only a harmless rash. Jeremiah's saying is read as a warning about how hard it is to change bad habits, though return to God is still possible.

Examples

• And if a man or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; (Torah LEV.13.38, JPS 1917) tree →
• then the priest shall look; and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be of a dull white, it is a tetter, it hath broken out in the skin: he is clean. (Torah LEV.13.39, JPS 1917) tree →
• Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? (Prophets JER.13.23, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Spots is the plural of the noun "spot" and also the "he/she/it" form of the verb "spot" (spotted, spotting with double t). In British English "spots" often means pimples; Americans more often say "pimples" or "zits". Spotted can mean "seen" or "covered in spots" (a spotted dress). "On the spot" means immediately, not on a stain. If a problem says "a ladybird has 7 spots", count each spot as one; "spots" on dice are the dots that show the number.