spit

views updated May 11 2018

spit1 / spit/ • v. (spit·ting; past and past part. spitor spat / spat/ ) [intr.] eject saliva forcibly from one's mouth, sometimes as a gesture of contempt or anger: Todd spit in Hugh's face. ∎  [tr.] forcibly eject (food or liquid) from one's mouth: he spits out his piece of coconut | fig. ATMs that spit out $20 bills. ∎  (spit up) (esp. of a baby) vomit or regurgitate food. ∎  [tr.] utter in a hostile or aggressive way: she spat abuse at the jury| [with direct speech] “Go to hell!” she spat. ∎  be extremely angry or frustrated: he was spitting with sudden fury. ∎  (of a fire or something being cooked) emit small bursts of sparks or hot fat with a series of short, explosive noises. ∎  (of a cat) make a hissing noise as a sign of anger or hostility.• n. 1. saliva, typically that which has been ejected from a person's mouth. ∎ short for cuckoo spit.2. an act of spitting.PHRASES: spit in the eye (or face) of show contempt or scorn for.spit it out inf. used to urge someone to say or confess something quickly: spit it out, man, I haven't got all day.spit2 • n. 1. a long, thin metal rod pushed through meat in order to hold and turn it while it is roasted over an open fire: chicken cooked on a spit.2. a narrow point of land projecting into the sea: a narrow spit of land shelters the bay.• v. (spit·ted, spit·ting) [tr.] put a spit through (meat) in order to roast it over an open fire: I spitted the squirrel meat and turned it over the flames.spit3 • n. (pl. same or spits ) a layer of earth whose depth is equal to the length of the blade of a spade: break up the top spit with a fork.

spit

views updated May 17 2018

spit2 pt., pp. spat eject saliva. late Nhb. OE. (ġe)spittan = G. dial. spützen, f. imit. base *spit-, of which there are other expressive vars. repr. by OE. spātlian, spǣt(l)an, spǣtl, spātl, spāld saliva, MHG. spiutzen, ON. spýta; see SPITTLE.

spit

views updated May 21 2018

spit be the spit (or the dead spit) of look exactly like (compare spitting image).
spit and polish extreme neatness or smartness, originally with allusion to the cleaning and polishing duties of a serviceman.
spit-and-sawdust used to describe an old-fashioned or simple pub or bar, of a type whose floor was originally covered with sawdust.

spit

views updated May 14 2018

spit An elongated accumulation of sand or gravel that projects from the shore into a water body. Longshore drift of material is usually responsible for the development of a spit.

spit

views updated May 08 2018

spit Elongated accumulation of sand or gravel projecting from the shore into a water body. Longshore drift of material is usually responsible for the development of a spit.

spit

views updated May 23 2018

spit3 spade's depth of earth. XVI. — (M)LG., (M)Du. spit, rel. to OE. spittan (dial. spit) dig with a spade, and hence prob. ult. to SPIT1.

spit

views updated May 21 2018

spit1 pointed rod on which meat is stuck for roasting OE.; sword; small tongue of land XVII. OE. spitu = MLG., MDu. spit, spet (Du. spit), OHG. spiz (G. spiess) :- Gmc. *spituz.

spit

views updated May 18 2018

spit Thin metal bar on which meat, poultry, or game is roasted in front of an open fire, and rotated during cooking; now also inside an oven or grill.