spare-no-expense lark Hello! What is the meaning of "a three-month spare-no-expense lark"? Does it fit in 19? Why? In May, he set out from New York City to Lisbon. In August, he ended his trip with a flight from Beijing to San Francisco. In between, Gross skipped around the world carrying his messenger bag, 18 _____ , a host of gadgets for staying in touch, and a list of contacts culled from friends and readers. Sounds sexy, but he wasn’t on 19 _____ . Gross is the paper’s “Frugal Traveller,” which means he has to operate on a tight budget. And, unlike a vacation, his time isn’t his own.