Spike’

n. 1 a sharp point. b pointed piece of metal, esp. the top of an iron railing. 2 a metal point in the sole of a runningshoe to prevent slipping. b (in pl.) spiked runningshoes. 3 pointed metal rod used for filing rejected news items. 4 large nail. u. (king) 1 put spikes on or into. 2 fix on a spike. 3 colloq. a lace (a drink) with alcohol etc. b contaminate with something added. 4 colloq. reject (a newspaper story). u spike a person’s guns spoil his or her plans. [Low German or Dutch: related to