spare somebody the trouble/difficulty/pain etc (of doing something)PREVENTto prevent someone from having to experience something difficult or unpleasant 免除某人（做某事）的麻烦/困难/痛苦等 I wanted to spare them the trouble of buying me a present. 我不想让他们费事给我买礼物了。
Thankfully, she had been spared the ordeal of surgery. 谢天谢地，她无须忍受手术的痛苦了。
→ spare somebody the trouble/difficulty/pain etc (of doing something) at spare2(2)