When he was 11 he had a 'growth spurt'. [=he grew quickly and suddenly in a short period of time]
They played well for a brief 'spurt' but then started losing again.
They worked on the house 'in spurts', whenever they had time.
(..) Oh, sweetie, I don't even think it works as one. - Is this all your clothes? - Yup, everything since the eighth grade. The eighth grade? My last growth spurt. Okay, well, guess we're back to the corduroy suit. - Great. - Yup. I said no. Put it down. (..)2008 TvShow: The Big Bang Theory Title: The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization Season: 1 Episode 9