Definition

1. Noun:

   • The act of forcefully expelling saliva from the mouth: The act of spitting.
   • A slender pointed rod for holding meat over a fire: A skewer used for roasting food.
   • Saliva: The clear liquid secreted in the mouth.
   • A narrow point of land projecting into a body of water: A small peninsula or sandbank.

2. Verb:

   • To expel saliva or phlegm from the mouth: To force liquid from the mouth.
   • To say something in a angry or contemptuous manner: To utter words forcefully with anger.
   • To impale or skewer something: To drive a spit or similar object through something.
   • To rain lightly: To fall in scattered, light drops.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • His angry spit landed on the ground. (The saliva he expelled in anger.)
  • Rotate the chicken on the spit so it cooks evenly. (The skewer for roasting.)
  • Wipe the spit from the baby's chin. (The saliva.)
  • We walked out to the end of the spit to go fishing. (The narrow point of land.)

• Verb:

  • It is rude to spit in public. (To expel saliva.)
  • He spat an insult at his opponent. (To utter with contempt.)
  • Spit the meat before putting it over the coals. (To skewer.)
  • It's not raining hard; it's just spitting. (To rain lightly.)

Advanced Usage

• "the spit and image of" / "the spitting image of": An idiom meaning an exact likeness of someone.

  • The boy is the spitting image of his grandfather. (He looks exactly like his grandfather.)

• "spit it out!": An imperative phrase urging someone to speak quickly or confess something.

  • You have news? Come on, spit it out! (Tell me now!)

Variants and Related Words

• Spittle (n): Saliva, especially when ejected.

  • A drop of spittle was on his lip.

• Spitting (adj/n): The act of expelling saliva; (as an adjective) describing light rain.

  • Spitting is prohibited here. (The act.)
  • We had spitting rain all afternoon. (Light, intermittent rain.)

Synonyms

• Expectorate (v): To cough or spit out phlegm (more formal/medical).
• Skewer (n/v): A pin for holding food; to pierce.
• Drool (v/n): To let saliva flow from the mouth; saliva.
• Peninsula (n): A piece of land almost surrounded by water (broader than ).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Spit at/on (someone/something): To expel saliva towards someone/something as a sign of contempt.

  • The crowd spat at the convicted criminal.

• Spit out: To eject something from the mouth; to say something abruptly.

  • He spat out the bitter seed. (Ejected.)
  • She finally spat out the truth. (Uttered abruptly.)

Related Idioms

• Spit and polish: Thorough cleaning and polishing.

  • The soldiers gave their boots a spit and polish before the inspection.

• Spit feathers (UK informal): To be very thirsty or angry.

  • After that long hike, I was spitting feathers. (Very thirsty.)

Noun

1. the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva)
2. a skewer for holding meat over a fire
3. a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches
4. a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea

Verb

1. drive a skewer through
   • skewer the meat for the BBQ
2. rain gently
   • It has only sprinkled, but the roads are slick
3. utter with anger or contempt
4. expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
   • The father of the victim spat at the alleged murderer