[Vocabulary] sparkplug & happen upon

[Eway]

Dear Teachers,

I read these from 29 Gifts by Cami Walker:

1. "It was so wonderful spending time with my sparkplug of a friend and getting some good work done."

What does "my sparkplug of a friend" mean?

2. "Luckily, I happen upon an iTunes gift card in my desk that I'd forgotten about... He is a huge music lover, so I'm glad he'll have something to open on this special day."

Is "happen upon" the same as "happen to have"?

 

[Shenfeng]

Dear Teachers,

I read these from 29 Gifts by Cami Walker:

1. "It was so wonderful spending time with my sparkplug of a friend and getting some good work done."

What does "my sparkplug of a friend" mean?

2. "Luckily, I happen upon an iTunes gift card in my desk that I'd forgotten about... He is a huge music lover, so I'm glad he'll have something to open on this special day."

Is "happen upon" the same as "happen to have"?

*not a teacher* When you 'happen on' or 'happen upon' something you find it by chance. A 'sparkplug' is a person who knows how to motivate people, someone who keeps them going. Often such a person is usually the one in a group of people who suggests what they should do when nobody else has got a clue. 'Sparkplugs' are very zestful people. So, I guess, "my sparkplug of a friend" means something like "my highly energetic friend who motivates me and with whom I can get a lot of work done."