Learn English – What does “I have a spare” mean in school context

meaningmeaning-in-context

It's morning; a girl is at home on a school day because she'd been suspended. Suddenly, a friend of hers appears at her house to give her some homework. To explain why she's here during school time, se says:

"I had a spare so I tought I'd drop it [the homeworks] off."

What does "have a spare" mean exactly in this context?

Just to provide more context: later, the girl that brings the homeworks says:

I have to go. I'm supposed to be doing my online math.

Best Answer

Suddenly, a friend of hers appears at her house to give her some homework. To explain why she's here during school time, she says:

"I had a spare so I thought I'd drop it [the homework] off."

She's saying she had an extra copy of the homework that she doesn't need. Her sentence doesn't explain why she is skipping class.

The definition of "spare" as a noun that applies in this context is:

something extra that is kept to be used if it is needed.

Often we say explicitly what the "spare" is, for example "spare tire" or "spare key", but if I'm handing you something and saying "I had a spare." you can usually assume that what I'm handing you is my extra that I don't need.

Here's another example of using "spare" in this sense:

I once had a turnbuckle fall off the forestay on the way to the lake. Luckily, I had a spare.
(Source: Trailer Without Tears on BoatSafe.com)

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