▪ I. spit, n.1
Forms: α. 1 spitu, 2–4 (6 Sc.) spite, 3, 5 spyte. β. 4–6 spete, 5 speete, 6 speet; Sc. 5–7 speit (6 speite, speitt), 6 speat (9 speate), 8–9 speet. γ. 4–6 spet, 5 spette. δ. 4– 6 spitte, 6–8 spitt, 5– spit; 5–6 spytt(e, 6 spyt.
[OE. spitu, = MDu. spit, spet (Flem., Du., WFris. spit), MLG. spit (spyt), spet (LG. spit, spet, speet, etc.), OHG. and MHG. spiz (obs. G. spisz, spiss, etc.; G. spiess); MSw. spit (Sw. spett) and Da. spid are from LG. By adoption into Romanic the word appears as It. (Naples dial.) spito, Sp. and Pg. espeto spit, F. épois (pl.) the points of a deer's horn.]
1. a. A cooking implement consisting of a slender sharp-pointed rod of metal or wood, used for thrusting into or through meat which is to be roasted at a fire; a broach.
| α c 1000 ælfric Gram. xi. (Z.) 80 Ueru, spitu. Ibid. xiv. 89 Ueribus, spitum. a 1100 in Assmann Ags. Hom. xv. 39 Sumne [heo] mid spiten betweon felle & flæsce þurhwræcon. 11.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 548 Ueru, spite. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 208 Some op-on grediles of Ire i-rostede weren also, Some ase gyes, þe spites of Ire þoruȝ-out heom i-do. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 4213 [He had] yspited him þoru out mid an yrene spite & rostede in þis grete fur. c 1340 Nominale (Skeat) 491 Broche, luche et esquele, Spite, ladul and dissch. a 1400 Octouian 122 The kokes knaue, that turneth the spyte. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 469 Spyte, for rostynge,..veru. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxv. 202 They toke a spyte of coper brennyng and put it in to his body. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 287 Rosting at the fyre, vpon a spite of trie. |
| β a 1300 Body & Soul in Map's Poems (Camden) 334 Thine cokes snelle, that scholden..greithe thi mete, With spetes. c 1400 Brut (1906) 253 [They] toke a spete of Copur brennyng, & put hit..into his body. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 8 Put þe porke on a fayre spete, an rost it half y-now. 1513 Douglas æneid v. ii. 117 Sum vthir..the colis hett Wndir the speitis swakkis. 1538 in Lett. Suppress. Monast. (Camden) 194, ij gret brasse pottys,..spetys, pannys. 1676 in Macintosh Anc. Rec. Kirkwall (1892) 78 Ane pair of long caces [read raxes] and ane speit. 1679 J. Somerville Mem. Somervilles (1815) I. 240 When any persones of qualitie wer to be with him, he used to wryte in the postscript of his letters, Speates and Raxes. 1747 in Nairne Peerage Evid. (1874) 80 Three speets one shilling sixpence. 1824 Scott Ep. to J. G. Lockhart 42 Speates and raxes ere five [o'clock] for a famishing guest, sir. |
| γ 1392 Earl Derby's Exp. (Camden) 205, vj spets et meremris pro rakks. 1483 Cath. Angl. 355/2 A Spette of flesche, verutum. 1559 Bury Wills (Camden) 153 A skommer, a spet, a gredyron. 1564 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees, 1835) 219 Tongs, poore, shouell, spet, and that belongs thervnto. |
| δ 1391 Earl Derby's Exp. (Camden) 102 Pro iiij magnis spittes longis, et ij paruis spittes. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 13 Rost hit afterwarde.., then serve thou may Hit forthe with spit. 1495 Nottingham Rec. III. 38 Unum spytte cum uno cobberd. 1540 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 119 The gretest yron spit that I have. 1553 Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 30 They rosted also mans fleshe vpon spyttes. 1607 Shakes. Cor. iv. iv. 5 Least that thy Wiues with Spits, and Boyes with stones In puny Battell slay me. 1671 Milton P.R. ii. 343 Fowl of game, In pastry built, or from the spit. 1710 Palmer Proverbs 107 It ends with poison in the cup, or with the spit in his guts. 1740 Somerville Hobbinol. ii. 131 A Spit he seiz'd, Just reeking from the fat Surloyn. 1809 Malkin Gil Blas ix. ix. ¶5 We have..wherewithal to keep the spit and the spigot in exercise. 1848 Lytton Harold ii. i, The meats were not placed on the table, but served upon small spits. 1870 Bryant Iliad i. I. 25 Transfixed with spits, And roasted with nice care. |
| fig. 1607 Hieron Wks. I. 413 Thrust through with a spit of reproch. |
| Comb. 1617 Minsheu Ductor, A Spitter, a yong male Deere, that beginnes to haue his hornes grow vp sharpe spitwise. |
b. to beat (etc.)..with the spit, to treat with unexpected harshness (following upon kindly usage or hospitality). Now only
dial. (in
transf. use).
| 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. 72 b, Suche are not to be lyked that geue a man a shoulder of mutton, and breake his heade with the spitte when thei haue doen. 1584 Greene Arbasto Wks. (Grosart) III. 214 Thou art bidden to the feast by loue, and art beaten with the spit by beauty. 1674– [see roast meat 2 c]. 1686 Wood Life (O.H.S.) III. 186 Din'd at the College. [note] ‘Gave me roast-meat and beat me with the spit.’ 1690 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 43 To bid one to roast and beat him with the spit. 1876 Robinson Whitby Gloss. 182/1 ‘Nevver invite a friend to a roast and then beat him with the spit,’ do not confer a favor and then make the obligation felt. |
c. The contents of a spit.
rare—1.
| 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 150 They have Camell or Mutton cut in mammocks or small bits put vpon scuers..rosted in the fire; of this they sell three or foure spits for two pence. |
† 2. a. A fin-spine of a fish.
Obs.—1| c 1205 Lay. 21329 He..bihaldeð hu ligeð i þan stræme stelene fisces;..Þer fleoteð heore spiten swulc hit spæren weoren. |
† b. The point
of a spear.
Obs.| c 1450 Cast. Persev. 1400 in Macro Plays. With spete of spere to þee I spynne; Goddis lawys to þee I lerne. |
† 3. A straight horizontal stroke used as a mark in books;
= obelisk n. 2.
Obs.| 1388 Wyclif Esth. x. 3 Which chapitre we bi oure custom han bifor markid with a spite. 1583 [see obelisk n. 2]. 1610 Healey St. Aug. Citie of God 733 The booke is not corrected but rather corrupted by those asteriskes, and spits. 1627 Bp. Hall Epist. ii. v. 303 Either your stars or your spits shall be welcome to my margent. |
4. † a. A slender or sharp-pointed rod.
Obs.| 1485 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 51 Merlyng Irenes, iiij, Spyttes of Iron, j, Canne hokes, ij. 1577 Harrison England 91 b/1 In sundry parts of Lancasshyre..the people go..into their Fennes and Marises with long spittes, which they dashe here and there..into the grounde. |
b. Printing. An iron rod carrying the wheel by which the carriage of a hand-press is run out or in.
| 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Printing, Under the Carriage is fix'd a small piece of Iron call'd the Spit, with a double Wheel in the middle. 1808 C. Stower Printer's Gram. 323 The axis, or spit, is a straight bar of iron,..about three inches longer than the whole breadth of the carriage. 1833 J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 210 The handle [of the rounce]..was attached to a rod which crossed the platten; this rod was connected with the spit by means of machinery. |
c. A thatching-peg. (
Cf. broach n.1 5.)
| 1833 Loudon Encycl. Archit §122 These are fastened to the thatch, by staples, or spits, or broaches. 1901 N. & Q. 9th Ser. VIII. 178 The owner thought I meant the thatch⁓pegs, which held the thatch down, so he said, ‘Speets’. |
d. A rod or skewer on which fish are strung and hung up to dry. (
Cf. broach n.1 2 b.)
| 1833 Loudon Encycl. Archit. §739 In the neighbourhood of Aberdeen, and in various places in the north of Scotland, haddocks are strung up on rods called spits. 1865 W. White E. Eng. I. 146 These open partitions or racks are called ‘loves’. They support the speets, which are sticks or laths, long enough to lie across from one to the other. 1883 R. Haldane Workshop Rec. Ser. ii. 443 Each fish (herring) is then threaded through the gills, on long thin spits holding 25 each. |
e. A shuttle-pin.
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 2279. |
f. An instrument used by Customs officers for probing and examining cargo.
| 1925 Chambers's Jrnl. 19 Sept. 668/1 A barbed ‘spit’ is used for examining cotton, wool, and various coarse goods, so that a portion of the interior may be drawn out. A flat, wooden ‘spit’ is used in the examination of rolls of carpet, cloth, linoleum... A short, fine ‘spit’ is used for probing the stuffing and packing in and around furniture. 1970 M. Greener Penguin Dict. Commerce 310 Spit, a weapon used by Customs authorities to discover whether dutiable goods are hidden in other cargo. |
5. A sword. (Chiefly contemptuous.)
| 1642 in Hazl. E.P.P. IV. 316 So that the vapour is all frenchified, With out-stucke bomm, streight breech, and spit at side. 1681 Otway Soldier's Fort. ii. i, I know five or six more of the same stamp; that never came abroad without terrible long Spits by their sides. 1733 Fielding Don Quix. in Eng. ii. v, Throw by your spit, sir; throw by your spit, and I don't fear you. 1749 ― Tom Jones xv. v, Don't think I am afraid of such a fellow as thee art! because [thou] hast got a spit there dangling at thy side. 1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T., Spit, a sword. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. xix. 171 Out with your spit without delay! You've but to lunge and I will parry. |
6. a. A small, low point or tongue of land, projecting into the water; a long narrow reef, shoal, or sandbank extending from the shore.
| 1673 Hickeringill G. Father Greybeard 138 That sand with the two horns is the spits. 1764 J. Byron Voy. (1773) I. 27 They drew up upon a stoney spit, which ran a good way into the sea. 1775 Romans Florida App. 72 Off of the Look-out on St. Rosa Island lies a spit, which you must avoid. 1802 Naval Chron. VIII. 211 Above the third buoy..lies a dangerous spit. 1859 in Merc. Marine Mag. (1860) VII. 110 The spit or horn..extends 1½ miles. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) II. ii. 154 Around yon narrow spit the waves are rippling. |
b. Const.
of (land, sand, etc.).
| 1697 W. Dampier Voy. (1699) II. 461 It is a small spit of sand, just appearing above the Waters edge. 1727 A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. I. xxvii. 343 There are..several Spits of Sand jetting a pretty Way into the Sea from Points of Land. 1836 W. Irving Astoria I. 132 The entrance from the sea..is bounded on the south side by a flat sandy spit of land, stretching into the ocean. 1863 Baring-Gould Iceland 112 A long spit of black rubble round which the lake curls. 1884 Contemp. Rev. Aug. 325 The old town..stood on an insulated spit of shore. |
7. Special
Combs.:
spit-boot, a boot or gaiter fastening by means of an iron spike (
obs. dial.);
† spit-file (see
quot.);
† spit-fish [
cf. MSw.
spitfisk, G.
spiessfisch], the sea-pike;
spit-jack, a spit with a turning mechanism (see
quot. 1967);
† spit-nose, a species of
Oxyrhynchus;
spit-point, a sharp slender point;
spit-pointed a., having a point like a spit;
† spit-rack, a rack used for supporting a spit or spits;
† spit-staff (?);
† spit-turner, a device for turning a spit;
† spit-wheel, a wheel serving to turn a spit.
| 1707 N. Blundell Diary (1895) 55 A pair of *Spit-Boots. 1729 P. Walkden Diary (1866) 43 Bought a pair of bellows and spit boot spurs. 1828 Carr Craven Gloss., Spit-boots, a species of boot, now very rarely in use. They opened on the outside of the leg. When put on, they were secured at the bottom by a sharp iron spit or spike, which passed into an iron socket. 1851 Cumbld. Gloss., Spit-boots, heavy leather gaiters with iron fastenings. |
| 1688 Holme Armoury iii. xxii. (Roxb.) 272/1 A *Spit file..is an Iron rod thicker then a good wyer; it is bent a little from the handle to a square and then runs out streight. |
| 1601 Chester Love's Mart. lxxxii, There swimmes the Shad, the *Spit-fish, and the Spurling. 1611 Cotgr., Spet,..a slender, long,..blackish-backt sea-fish, called by some the Spit-fish, and by others..the sea-Pike. 1668 Charleton Onomast. 136 Lucius Marinus, the Sea-Pike, or Spitt-Fish. |
| 1967 Antique Finder Aug. 11/3 *Spit jacks... These mechanisms were fitted on the wall at the side of the fireplace in order to rotate the carcass in front of the fire. A heavy weight was suspended from a cord and wound over the cylinder. The power was conveyed by a series of cogged wheels to another cylinder connected by a cord with a grooved disc on the end of the spit itself, which it slowly turned. 1971 R. Howe Mrs. Groundes-Peace's Old Cookery Notebk. 65 There was the ‘spit-jack’, a weight-driven spit, considered in the sixteenth century as a labour-saving device. |
| 1668 Charleton Onomast. 156 Oxyrincus Rondeletii,..the *Spitnose. |
| 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 609 Leaves..ending in *spit⁓points. |
| Ibid. 855 Leaves..narrow, *spit-pointed. |
| a 1693 Urquhart's Rabelais iii. xxxviii. 318 *Spitrack fool. 1828 Tytler Hist. Scotland I. 399 About a thousand spit racks, with meat on them. |
| 1608 Wedderburne Compt Bk. (S.H.S.) 113 A *speit staf and carvit wark thairon. |
| c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 770 Hic veruvertor, a *spete⁓turnere. |
| 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 51 The Wood-work belonging to the Jack, is a Barrel, a *Spit-wheel and a Handing of the Winch. 1776 Hawkins Hist. Mus. I. 335 The dog who treads the spit-wheel. |
▪ II. spit, n.2 (
spɪt)
Also 5
spyt.
[f. spit v.2 Cf. spet n.1 and Da. spyt (NFris. spiit).] 1. a. The fluid secreted by the glands of the mouth,
esp. when ejected; saliva, spittle; a clot of this.
See also
cuckoo-spit,
frog-spit.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 24085 Þai sput on him þair spit. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 469 Spyt, or spotle, sputum, screa, saliva. c 1530 Hours of Blessed Virgin 78 His face w{supt}{suph} spit defil'd. 1611 Cotgr., Crachat, spittle, or spit; also, a spitting. 1633 P. Fletcher Poet. Misc. Wks. 1909 II. 256 See how with streams of spit th' are drencht. 1700 Floyer Cold Baths i. 47 Temperate Bathing..ripens the Spit, and helps it up. 1747 tr. Astruc's Fevers 291 The yellow spits generally expectorated in a peripneumony. 1865 Morning Star 7 Jan., The presence of ‘stour’, or dust,..the particles of which..manifest themselves in what is called the ‘black spit’. 1904 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 10 Sept. 35 The spit ceased to be fetid. |
b. Path. Spitting due to morbid condition.
| 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. II. 967 The men become prematurely old; they suffer from cough and spit. |
c. spit and sawdust: the floor covering (
esp. formerly) typical of the general bar of a public house (see
quot. 1937); hence, the bar itself. Freq.
attrib. (also
transf.).
Cf. sawdust n. 3 b.
| 1937 Partridge Dict. Slang Add. 995/1 Spit and sawdust, a general saloon in a public-house: C. 20. Ex the sawdust sprinkled on the floor and the spitting on to the sawdust. 1969 D. Clark Death after Evensong ii. 40 Where shall I start? In the spit and sawdust? I take it you'll do the saloon bar yourself. 1971 R. Busby Deadock x. 158 The Porter's Arms, a spit and sawdust public house near the markets. 1972 Guardian 24 Feb. 10/2 Pub styles polarize into ‘Spit and Sawdust’..and ‘Architects' Fanciful’. 1976 Rhyl Jrnl. & Advertiser 9 Dec. 1/1 He thought that a ‘rough and ready, spit and sawdust affair’ could be produced and made available for consideration at the council's estimates meetings. 1977 Lancashire Life Mar. 58/2 They also convert buildings into billiard clubs, where the decor is attractive and the spit-and-sawdust era is just a memory. |
2. a. The act of spitting; an instance of this.
| a 1658 Lovelace Lucasta, Toad & Spider 13 The speckl'd Toad..Defies his foe with a fell Spit. 1700 C. Nesse Antid. Armin. (1827) 30 Fortune is but the devil's blasphemous spit upon divine providence. 1763 C. Johnston Reverie I. 143, I began to hope that I should come off with a spit in the face, or a kick on the breech at worst. 1853 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1889) I. 224 The Athenaeum in which you will see a more determined spit at me. 1896 Daily News 19 May 8/1 Whenever Masai retire from a conference without spitting the spit of peace, squalls may be expected. |
| transf. 1882 Proc. R. Geogr. Soc. IV. 471 [There was] a little spit from a Mahratta musket. |
b. a spit and a stride, a very short distance.
| 1676 Cotton Walton's Angler ii. 23 You are now..within a spit, and a stride of the peak. 1676 Poor Robin's Intell. 4–11 Apr. 1/1 He had not gone above a spit and a stride but he meets another arch Wag. 1677 W. Hughes Man of Sin i. x. 44 They, I think, out-spake him, a spit and stride, who prayed unto the Pope [etc.]. 1828 in Carr Craven Gloss. |
c. to go for the big spit: to vomit.
Austral. slang.| 1967 F. Hardy Billy Borker yarns Again 40 Don't tell me the Gargler went for the big spit. 1970 Private Eye 10 Apr. 16 He goes for the big spit and accidentally entombs a nice old lady and her dog in tepid chuck. 1975 R. Beilby Brown Land Crying 225 Goin' for the big spit, was I? I don't remember. |
3. the very spit of, the exact image, likeness, or counterpart of (a person, etc.). Also,
the (dead) spit of.
colloq.| 1825 Knapp & Baldwin Newgate Cal. III. 497/2 A daughter,..the very spit of the old captain. 1836 T. Hook G. Gurney I. 202 You are a queer fellow—the very spit of your father. 1885 Hall Caine Shadow of Crime II. xxvi. 129 A brother..the spit of hissel'. 1886 Macquoid Sir J. Appleby III. x. 143 This young chap has got his dear grandmother's eyes, why, he's the very spit of her. 1901 E. W. Hornung Black Mask 37 I'll chance you having another ring..the dead spit of mine. 1921 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. Sept. (1977) 232 One of his [sc. Cézanne's] men gave me quite a shock. He's the spit of a man I've just written about, one Jonathan Trout. 1936 M. de la Roche Whiteoak Harvest v. 98 Easy for a boy to look like his grandmother. There was Renny—the spit of old Gran! 1953 A. Upfield Murder must Wait xvii. 154 The son's the dead spit of the old man. 1966 [see gramp]. |
b. With addition of
fetch,
image,
picture.
spit and image: see also
image n. 4 b. Also
spit image and
absol. spit.
Cf. the (later) forms
spitten image,
spitting image s.v. spitten a.,
spitting ppl. a. 3 respectively.
| 1859 Sala Gas-light & D. xxix. 334 He would be the very spit and fetch of Queen Cleopatra. 1869– in dialect use (Eng. Dial. Dict.). 1895 E. Castle Lt. of Searthey vi. 71 She's like the poor lady that's dead and gone, the spit an' image she is. 1929 J. B. Priestley Good Companions i. v. 166 That's theirs... It's the spit image o' yours, too. 1949 Penguin New Writing XXXVI. 35 My husband saw a man that was the spit-image of King no further away than Jackson. 1966 New Statesman 18 Feb. 235/1 For most of the last two acts he's catapulted in and out of doors, changing on the way into the cheerfully sodden porter of the bordel who happens to be his spit. |
4. A slight sprinkle or shower of rain or snow.
| 1849 Cupples Green Hand x. (1856) 90 The night was quite dark, the rain coming in sudden spits out of the wind. 1851 T. J. Taylor Operat. Running Streams 33 On the occurrence of a thunder spit. 1889 F. M. Peard Paul's Sister III. xxvi. 138 The day was mild,..with occasional spit of rain. |
5. attrib., as
spit-venom; also
spit-box, a spittoon;
spit-curl orig. U.S. (see
quots.);
spit-insect,
† (
a) (see
quot. 1755); (
b) the cuckoo-spit insect,
Philænus spumarius;
cf. spittle-bug s.v. spittle n.2 4;
spit-kid Naut., a receptacle for spit.
| 1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle xviii, There was no paucity of silver dishes, basins, *spitboxes, censers, and utensils of all shapes..and sizes. 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxii, Having a large spit-box always under the steps. 1890 J. Cagney tr. Jaksch's Clin. Diagnosis iv. 88 The sputum has a rusty tinge.., and adheres firmly to the spit-box. |
| 1831 Boston (Mass.) Transcript 9 Sept. 2/1 What would the reverend Doctor say of the ‘*spit curls’, and Chinese precision of a modern dandyzette's head gear? 1857 [see beau-catcher s.v. beau n. 3]. 1859 Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 435 Spit-curl, a detached lock of hair curled upon the temple; probably from having been at first plastered into shape by the saliva. 1872 Schele de Vere Americanisms 324 The female ornament..is the spit-curl. 1903 Farmer & Henley Slang VI. 314/1 Spit-curl, subs. phr. (costers').—A curl lying flat on the temple; a soap-curl. 1957 L. Durrell Justine i. 37 A spitcurl at each temple. 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 198 Spit curls, small curls brought forward on to the cheek, often moistened with ‘spit’. |
| 1755 Dict. Arts & Sci. IV., *Spit-insect, in zoology, the cicada with brown wings, and two white spots on them, and a double white line. 1950 J. Brooke Goose Cathedral iv. 82 Little green spit-insects dropped out of the tamarisks into one's cup. |
| 1891 Cent. Dict. s.v., *Spitkid. 1898 Kipling Fleet in Being 13 After dinner, as they were smoking above the spit-kids. |
| 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. ii. §2 The *spit-venome of their poisoned hearts breaketh out to the annoyance of others. |
▪ III. spit, n.3 Also 9
dial. speet.
[a. MDu. or MLG. spit (Du., LG., WFris. spit, NFris. spet, spatt; also MDu. speet, MLG. spêdt): see spit v.3] 1. Such a depth of earth as is pierced by the full length of a spade-blade; a spade-graft:
a. Followed by
adjs.,
esp. deep.
The
sing. is sometimes used after numerals instead of the
pl.| 1507–8 in Gage Hist. Suffolk (1838) 145 For making of a diche..ij spitte depper then the cast of the cawsy now is. 1645–50 Boate Ireland's Nat. Hist. (1860) 128 A good clay (which commonly lyeth one or two spits deep). 1670 J. Smith Eng. Improv. Reviv'd 36 The ground is delved two spit deep. 1691 Ray Coll. Eng. Wds. (ed. 2) Pref., We say a Spade-graft or a Spit deep. a 1722 Lisle Husb. (1757) 25 Whole beds of chalk, an half spit thick. 1763 Museum Rust. I. 254, I make my labourers dig up the intervals one spit deep. 1807 Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 285 These drains..should be made one foot (or spit) wide, and one spit deep. 1882 Gard. Chron. XVII. 84 The best method of preparing the soil for the reception of young trees is to dig or trench it at least two spits deep. |
b. In other contexts.
| 1677 Plot Oxfordsh. 66 At Teynton also, within a spit of the surface, they dig a sort of earth they there call Lam. a 1679 Sir J. Moore Eng. Interest (1703) 47, I..digg my hole 4 Foot square, but no deeper than one Spit, or there⁓about. 1792 Trans. Soc. Encour. Arts X. 4 The soil was dug one full spit, and the turf inverted. 1842 E. J. Lance Cottage Farmer 11 Digging one acre of Wheat Land, twelve inches deep, by two 6-inch spits. 1862 E. O'Curry Lect. Anc. Irish xxxiii. (1873) III. 291 It [a curious harp] was raised by labourers at the depth of twelve spits or spadings under the earth in Coolness Moss. |
c. A thrust
of the spade in digging.
| 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 552 Manure, which should either be dug down 18 inches deep with a double spit of the spade, or ploughed down with a double furrow. |
2. A layer of earth of a spade's depth:
a. With
adjs. denoting the relative position of the layer.
| 1663 Gerbier Counsel 53 Brickmakers are accustomed to dig the top spit..and to throw it with the other clay. 1670 J. Smith Eng. Improv. Reviv'd 36 The second spit or under⁓most earth is laid upon the first spit or spadeful of earth. 1706 London & Wise Retir'd Gard. i. ii, The first Spit, or Top Earth is always allow'd to be better than that which lyes under it. 1757 E. Griffith Lett. Hen. & Frances (1767) III. 217 The Difference..may be compared to [that between] the upper Sod, and the under Spit, of the Earth. 1824 T. Hogg Carnation 23 Loam..should consist of the top spit and crumbs only. 1851 Glenny Handbk. Fl. Gard. 9 Use a compost of two-thirds loam, from the upper spit of a pasture, and one-third sand. 1882 Garden 28 Jan. 54/1 The soil..is entirely composed of the top spit of a neighbouring meadow. |
b. In other contexts.
| 1780 Young Tour Irel. I. 63 He dug it over, levelled it, and burnt the spit in great heaps. 1791 Trans. Soc. Encour. Arts IX. 42 Covering them [potatoes] with straw and a spit of earth. 1805 Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 323 He only digs one spit fourteen inches deep with the bottom land-ditching spade. 1844 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. V. i. 9 He returns and with another spade longer and narrower than the last cuts out the next spit or lower part of the drain. |
3. The quantity of earth taken up by a spade at a time; a spadeful.
| 1675 Lond. Gaz. No. 1031/4 The River side,..where the Lord Bishop diggeth the first Spit. 1733 Tull Horse-Hoeing Husb. xx. 292 You will find..most of the Pieces or Spits, which are dug out of your Sight, to be of twice that Thickness. 1792 J. Belknap Hist. New Hampsh. III. 119 This being dug in spits of a proper size, and dried, becomes valuable fewel. 1837 Flemish Husb. 20 in Husb. (L.U.K.) III, Digging out spits of earth with the spade.., and setting them up on the surface already ploughed. 1881 Whitehead Hops 43 The modern diggers..do not lift each ‘spit’ up on their spuds and throw it over, as the old-fashioned workmen did in other days. |
b. A series of spadefuls taken in a line.
| a 1722 Lisle Husb. (1757) 21 Farmer Bond..carried a spit [of dung] all along from the heap, and spread it near to the brink of the furrows. 1765 Museum Rust. IV. 374 A spit of earth out of the trenches is..to be cast amongst the plants of coleseed in the rows. |
4. dial. A special form of spade (see
quots.).
| 1828 Carr Craven Gloss., Spit, a spade with a mouth almost semicircular. 1830 Cumb. Farm Rep. 65 in Husb. (L.U.K.) III, A narrow-mouthed spade (technically called a spit) corresponding to the breadth of the tile to be used. 1866– in dial. glossaries (Lanc., Yks., Linc., Glouc.), |
5. attrib. and
Comb., as
spit-deep adv.,
spit-dung,
spit-shovel.
| 1693 Phil. Trans. XVII. 826 Some of these Tubera, which lay *Spit deep under ground. 1765 Museum Rust. IV. 311 Digging, spit-deep, sixteen rods, at three-pence per rod. a 1800 Pegge Suppl. Grose, Spit-deep, the depth of a spade only. |
| 1672 F. Drope Fruit-Trees 3 Upon this Bed must be laid some *spit-dung (i.e. such horse-dung as is rotted in the heap, and may be digged with a spade). 1778 [W. H. Marshall] Minutes Agric., Observ. 111 note, The ordinary distinction of Long-Dung and Short or Spit-Dung. 1825 Greenhouse Comp. I. 115 Loam with..vegetable mould, or mould of spit dung. 1864 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXV. ii. 329, I..buy good spit-dung, ready for use, as I want it. |
| 1678 Phil. Trans. XII. 946 The *Spit-shovel is to be made of a thin streight Iron ten Inches long, and five Inches broad, with a Socket in the side of it to put a staff or handle. 1728 Ibid. XXXV. 568 A narrow Spade, commonly termed a Spit-shovel. |
▪ IV. spit, v.1 Forms: α. 3
spit(i)en (
pa. tense spitede,
pa. pple. i-spited,
y-spited,
-spyted), 5
spite,
spyte. β.
Sc. and
dial. 6
spete, 6, 8–9
speet. γ. 5–6
spytte, 6
spyt, 6–
spit (
pa. tense and pa. pple. spitted), 7
spitt.
[f. spit n.1 Cf. MDu. (Du.) and MLG. speten, MDu. and LG. spitten, older G. (now dial.) spissen (G. spiessen).] 1. trans. To put on a spit; to thrust through with a spit.
| c 1205 Lay. 26522 He..smat hine þurh mid þan spere swa he ispited weore. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 4213 Þis grisliche geant adde..yspited him þoru out mid an yrene spite. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 469 Spyte mete on a spete, veruo. 1483 Cath. Angl. 356/1 To Spytte..flesche, verutare. 1530 Palsgr. 729, I wyll spytte my meate or ever I wyl set my pyes in the oven. 1581 A. Hall Iliad ii. 31 The gigots and the other flesh in peeces they did spit. c 1611 Chapman Iliad ix. 209 Then of a well-fed swine A huge fat shoulder he cuts out, and spits it wondrous fine. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. 31 Little bits of Pork, spitted 5 or 6 of them at once, on a small skiver, and roasted. 1749 Smollett Gil Blas x. x, He lighted a fire, spitted a leg of mutton. 1787 Farley Lond. Art Cookery (ed. 4) 35 Having spitted your pig,..lay it down to a brisk clear fire. 1833 Loudon Encycl. Archit. §1515 The operation, when the meat is once spitted,..goes on of itself. 1879 Beerbohm Patagonia xi. 171, I lost no time in spitting some meat and setting it to roast. |
b. transf. To pierce, transfix, or stab with a sharp weapon, etc.; to fix or impale
on or
upon something sharp.
| α, γ c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode ii. cxxviii. (1869) 124 A spere, that was al ful of eren of men perced, whiche weren spited ther on. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iii. iii. 38 Your naked Infants spitted vpon Pykes. 1607 R. C[arew] tr. Estienne's World Wond. 144 Two brethren..who were spitted vpon a stake some fifteene yeares ago. a 1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary iv. i, Hee'l spit you If he but know you are a usurer. 1781 Cowper Charity 354 Whether he measure earth,..Weigh sun-beams, carve a fly, or spit a flea. 1847 E. Brontë Wuthering Heights vi. I. 106 If she had been spitted on the horns of a mad cow. 1870 Thornbury Tour rd. Eng. i. ii. 51 They were found, side by side, each having spitted the other with his rapier. |
| fig. 1589 R. Harvey Pl. Perc. 11 Heresay is too slender an euidence to spit a mans credit vpon. |
| refl. 1818 Scott Rob Roy x, My falcon Cheviot, who spitted himself on a heron's bill. |
| β 1513 Douglas æneid ix. xii. 90 And Phegeas [he] doun brytnys in the feyld, Spetit throw owt the body and his scheyld. 1575 Gamm. Gurton v. ii. 181 If he came, [he] bad me not sticke to speet hym. 1785 Burns Jolly Beggars xxxix, He swore by a' was swearing worth, To speet him like a pliver. |
c. Of a Customs officer: to examine with a ‘spit’ (
spit n.1 4 f).
| 1925 Chambers's Jrnl. 19 Sept. 668/1 The officer..selects a number of bales for inspection. These he ‘spits’—that is, he inserts a special iron instrument, which is capable of penetrating to the interior of a large bale and extracting a small piece of the commodity. |
2. To pierce or stud (a thing)
with spikes.
| a 1225 Juliana 57 [He] lette..a swiðe wunderlich hweol meten & makien & þurh spitien [v.r. spiten] hit al..wið irnene gadien. |
3. a. To fix (herrings or other fish) on a spit or rod for drying or smoking.
| 1617 Minutes Archd. Colchester (MS.), Allegauit that his servant dyd spitt herrings vpon the saboth day,..for otherwise the herrings had bene all lost. 1865 W. White E. Eng. II. 140 The fish are washed and speeted by gangs of women, who with nimble fingers hang them one by one through gills and mouth upon speets. |
b. To string (needles) together by passing a wire through the eyes.
| 1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 6449, These little labourers take the needles when they have been ‘eyed’ and proceed to ‘spit’ them, that is, to pass a wire through the eye of every needle. |
▪ V. spit, v.2 Forms:
inf. 1
spittan, 3–4
spitten, 5
spyttyn; 4–6
spitte,
spytte,
spyt (5–6
spytt), 6–
spit (6–7
spitt).
pa. tense. α. 3–7
spitted (6
Sc. -it), 4–6
spytted. β. 4–6
spitte,
spytte, 4–
spit (4
spitt,
spyt, 5
spytt); 6
spett(e, 6–7
spet; 6
spatt(e, 6–
spat; 6–9
spate, 7
spot, 4, 9
dial.,
sput.
pa. pple. α. 1
ᵹispitted, 4–6
spytted, 6–7 (9
dial.)
spitted (6
Sc. -it). β. 6–7
spet (6
spette), 5–
spit (6–7
spitte, 6
spytte), 9–
spat,
dial. sput. γ. 6
spetten, 7–8 (9
dial.)
spitten, 9
dial. spatten,
sputten.
[Northern OE. spittan (also ᵹespittan), = G. dial. spitzen, of imitative origin; cf. MSw. spytta, spotta (Sw. spotta), Norw. dial. spytta (sputta), Da. spytte, NFris. spütte, older G. (now dial.) sputzen, also ON. and Icel. sp{yacu}ta (Norw. dial. spyte) and OE. spǽtan spete v. OE. instances are rare, the common words being
spǽtan,
spǽtlan, and
sp{iacu}wan. From the 15th
cent. the conjugation has included forms properly belonging to the obsolete
spete, together with new formations on the analogy of strong
vbs. See also
spet v.]
I. trans. † 1. To eject saliva on (a person) as a sign of
contempt. Obs.| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark x. 34 Hia spittes hine & hia suingeð hine. c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Luke xviii. 32 Swungen [he] bið & ᵹispitted bið. a 1225 Ancr. R. 290 Spit him amidde þe bearde to hoker & to schom, þet flikereð so mit þe. c 1230 Hali Meid. 17 Þenne spit leccherie, to schome & to bismere, meidenhad o þe nebbe. |
2. To eject from the mouth by the special effort involved in expelling saliva.
to spit sixpences: see
sixpence 2 d.
| c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxvii. 30 Þa spittende on him heor spaðl, ᵹenoman þæt hreod & sloᵹun his heafud. a 1225 Juliana 49 Hare ahne blod ich habbe ofte imaket ham to spitten & to speowen. a 1300 Cursor M. 24085 Þai sput on him þair spit. c 1385 Chaucer L. G. W. 1433 Hypsiphyle, Two bolys makyd al of bras That spittyn fer. c 1440 Alph. Tales 180 He strake hym opon þe breste, at he spytt blude with iij dayes. 1481 Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 111 The wulf had so moche payne and anguyssh..that he spytte blood. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxiii. (Percy Soc.) 166 With his thre hedes he spytte all his venum. 1590 Pasquil's Apol. i. B iij, Hath the Toade no poyson before he spits it? 1600 Surflet Countrie Farme i. xii. 65 That cluttered blood which the sicke partie shall haue spet. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 148 A thirsty Train That..spit from their dry Chaps the gather'd Dust again. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 117 ¶7 Sir Roger told me, that old Moll had been often brought before him for making Children spit Pins. 1789 Med. Comm. II. 297 He..spate a vast quantity of tough white froth. 1803 Med. Jrnl. IX. 430 He..began to spit thick matter of a greenish colour. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xxiv, This master-fiend shall spit a few flashes of fire..on the spot, if it will do you pleasure. 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. IV. 162 Recovery may ensue after the patient has been spitting muco-pus for weeks. |
| fig. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. ii. Wks. (1904) 239 Their whole knowledge..was tied onely to their tong & lips,..and therfore was sone spitte out of the mouth againe. 1608 Shakes. Per. iii. i. 8 Thou stormest venomously; Wilt thou spit all thyself? 1777 Brand Pop. Antiq. 101 note, Boys have a Custom (inter se) of spitting their Faith, or as they also call it here, their Saul (Soul), when required to make Asseverations in a Matter of Consequence. |
b. With
forth,
out,
up.
| c 1386 [see c]. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6353 He wald þe penys oute haue spit, he moght noght opyn his mouth ȝit. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxvii. (Percy Soc.) 192 Toward me he came,..Spyttyng out fyre. 1530 Palsgr. 729 The adder dyd spytte forthe her venyme by and by. 1558 Warde tr. Alexis' Secr. 21 b, He tourned..vpon the beddes side, and spitte out a great parte of the matter. 1663 Bp. Patrick Parab. Pilgr. ix, As men do with bitter Pills which..if they chaw them, prove so distastful, that they are ready to spit them out again. 1745 tr. Columella's Husb. viii. xvi, When he..had tasted of a pike.. and had spitten it out, he followed the impudent action with a jest. 1779 in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) IV. 258 Those rascals we have seen take so much snuff and spit it up again. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xviii, He..saw the trumpeter spitting out a mouthful of beer. 1898 Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 55 Since then he had spat up thick phlegm. |
| fig. 1598 Chapman Hero & Leander 111, Takes news as if it were too hot to eat, And spits it slavering forth for dog-fees meat. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. ii. 61 This makes..Tongues spit their duties out. 1915 T. S. Eliot Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock in Poetry (Chicago) June 132 How should I begin to spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways. |
c. With various
fig. objects (as
venom,
poison,
fire, etc.) denoting the utterance or expression of malice, hatred, anger, or other violent feeling.
to spit blood, (
a) to express vehement anger, to rage (
colloq.); (
b)
slang, of a spy, etc.: to fear exposure;
to spit chips (
Austral. slang), (
a) to feel extreme thirst; (
b) to manifest acute anger or vexation.
| c 1386 Chaucer Pard. T. Prol. 135 Thus spitte I out my venym vnder hewe Of hoolynesse, to semen hooly. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 20 Herein they..spitte oute the poyson of theyr hatred. 1583 Babington Commandm. (1590) 364 When hee woulde haue euen spit fire in Anthonies face and galled him as greatly as hee could. 1621 in Kempe Losely MSS. (1836) 454 Y⊇ Spaniards, against whom they are apt..to spitt theyr spleens. a 1656 Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. (1660) 161 One spits his poyson upon the blessed Trinity. 1701 Farquhar Sir H. Wildair i. i, Let 'em spit their venom among themselves, and it hurts nobody. 1759 Dilworth Pope 16 When the venom you spit falls short of your aim. 1863 Holland Lett. Joneses vi. 98 There be women..who can scold or cry or howl or spit fire. 1901 Bulletin Reciter (Sydney) 108 While you're spitting chips like thunder... And the streams of sweat near blind you. 1946 A. Marshall Tell us about the Turkey, Jo 142, I was spitting chips. God, I was dry! 1947 J. Morrison Sailors belong Ships 189 Old Mick Doyle's with them. He's spitting chips because they're not using sea water. 1954 P. Gladwin Long Beat Home 17 It's enough to make you spit chips when you think of Sydney—movies and vaudeville comedies and a decent musician once in two years. 1963 J. Joesten They call it Intelligence i. iv. 45 When a resident agent is forced to lie low, because counter-espionage is on his trail, it is said of him that he is ‘spitting blood’. 1963 Wodehouse Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves ix. 72 If there's one thing that makes a collector spit blood, it's hearing about another collector getting a bargain. 1965 I. Southall Ash Road 77 Not when I saw Mr Fairhall last. He was spittin' chips because Peter had gone away. 1966 L. Deighton Billion-Dollar Brain x. 90 A man tailed or suspected is said to be ‘spitting blood’. 1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 102 When I think of it I could spit blood. |
| refl. 1735 Pope Prol. Sat. 320 Or at the ear of Eve, familiar Toad, Half froth, half venom, [he] spits himself abroad, In puns, or politics, or tales, or lies. |
d. With
compl. in one's face,
teeth, etc. Chiefly in
fig. use.
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 97 Euer spyttynge thy offences in thy tethe. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, i. i. 194 My teeth shall teare The slauish motiue..And spit it..euen in Mowbrayes face. 1636 R. Brathwait Rom. Emp. 94 He bit off his tongue and spit it in her face. a 1711 Ken Urania Poet. Wks. 1721 IV. 475 Sweet Poetry has suffer'd most, By Bards..Who in her beauteous Visage spit The Putrefaction of their Wit. 1781 Cowper Hope 662 While bigotry..spits abhorrence in the Christian's face. |
e. In phrases denoting great or exact likeness or resemblance. (
Cf. spit n.2 3.)
F.
craché is similarly used.
| 1602 Breton Wonders worth Hear. (1879) 8/1 Twoo girles,..the one as like an Owle, the other as like an Urchin, as if they had beene spitte out of the mouthes of them. 1664 Cotton Scarron. 106 Hee's e'en as like thee as th' adst spit him. 1690 C. Nesse Hist. O. & N.T. I. 159 We are of our father the devil,..as like him as if spit out of his mouth. 1788 Grose Dict. Vulgar T. (ed. 2) s.v., He is as like his father as if he was spit out of his mouth; said of a child much resembling his father. 1825– in Eng. Dial. Dict. |
3. a. To emit, cast, throw, in a manner similar to the ejection of saliva.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 338 Oure fader to þe fysch ferslych biddez, Þat he hym sput spakly vpon spare drye. 1595 Shakes. John ii. 211 The Canons..ready mounted..to spit forth Their Iron indignation gainst your walles. c 1611 Chapman Iliad iv. 452 The sea thrusts vp her waues;..she rores, And..spits euerie way her fome. 1773 Let. 26 Aug. in Maryland Hist. Mag. (1920) XV. 280 The wind is strong at N:E. & it spits Rain. 1803 B. Hunt Diary 16 Apr. in Chester Co. (Pa.) Hist. Soc. Bull. (1898) 7 Continues cold and Spiting snow. 1835 N. Wyeth Jrnl. 12 Jan. in F. G. Young Sources Hist. Oregon (1899) I. 243 Spit snow all day at night set in to snow. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. ii. i. iii, Sulphur-cloud spitting streaks of fire? 1863 Hawthorne Our Old Home (1879) 94 The clouds now spat down a few spiteful drops upon us. 1911 Daily Mail 1 Nov. 7/2 The bullets came crashing through the cactus leaves, spitting up sand all around us. |
† b. To cause to be expelled in spittle.
Obs.| 1608 Topsell Serpents 45 The roote of Teasill young, for Fullers yet vnfit, Drunke in warme water, venome out doth spit. |
c. colloq. To leave (visiting-cards).
| 1782 F. Burney Diary 24 Dec., As I had the coach, I then spit cards at Mrs. Chapone's, who has sent me an invitation. |
d. To extrude or lay (eggs or spawn).
| 1847 Halliwell, Spit, to lay eggs, said of insects. 1909 Toilers of Deep Sept. 225/1 The adult oyster ‘spits’ its many thousands of eggs into the water. |
4. With
out (or
† forth): To utter in a proud, spiteful, plain, or unreserved manner. Also without
adv.: To speak (a language). Freq. in
phr. to spit it out: to reveal, confess, disclose something.
| 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 458 A large mouth indeede, That spits forth death, and mountaines. 1639 S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 310 Those students, who returning from the Universities, spit out at their mouth the superfluities of their memory. 1657 J. Smith Myst. Rhet. 80 Thus Michael spits out bitter reproaches against David. 1701 Cibber Love makes Man ii. i, Car. Does my younger Brother speak any Greek yet, Sancho? Sanc. No, Sir, but he spits French like a Magpy. 1855 Mrs. Gaskell North & S. I. xxv. 313 I'm easier in my mind for having spit it out. 1876 T. Hardy Ethelberta (1890) 5 A good saying well spit out is a Christmas fire to my withered heart. 1904 A. Griffiths Fifty Yrs. Publ. Serv. 11 Now Sir, speak up... Don't be afraid, spit it out. 1920 Galsworthy Skin Game i. 31 Don't be so mysterious, mother. If you know something, do spit it out! 1935 Auden & Isherwood Dog beneath Skin ii. v. 115 Go on, then, spit it aht! 1950 J. Cannan Murder Included vi. 123 ‘I've gotta clue.’.. ‘Spit it out, for mercy's sake, boy.’ 1981 A. Price Soldier No More 43 ‘Well—spit it out, man! Don't just stand there,’ Willis exhorted him. |
5. To put
out by means of spitting.
| 1681 Cotton Wond. Peak 62 The water breaks on Rocks in such a showr..as made us doubt 'Twould hazard spitting all our Candles out. |
II. intr. 6. To eject saliva (at or on a person or thing) as a means of expressing hatred or
contempt. Usually with preps., as
against,
at,
in,
on, etc.
| c 975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 67 Þa spittadun [hiæ] on his ondwliotu & mid hondum hine sloᵹun. a 1240 Wohunge in O.E. Hom. I. 279 Hwen þat te sunefule men i þi neb spitted. a 1300 Cursor M. 16635 Þai spitted on his luueli face. 13.. K. Alis. 891 (Linc.), ‘Fy on þe!’ quoþ Nycolas: And spitte amydde his face. c 1400 Laud Troy-B. 18577 [She] tare here clothes & on hem spit. c 1440 Jacob's Well 193 He spytted on þe cros, he dyspysed oure lady. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 231/2 They..spytten ayenste the fals ydollys and Statues. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 396, I spittit quhen I saw That super spendit euill spreit. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 56 Aristippus spitted on the evill favoured face of Simus. 1608–9 Middleton Widow v. i, Spit at me, gentlemen, If ever I'd such a thought. 1630 S. Lennard tr. Charron's Wisd. ii. iv. (1670) 256 For to go against his own nature, is to tempt God, to spit against the heavens. 1732 Berkeley Alciphr. v. §13 A determined purpose to murder any man who shall but spit in his face. 1797 Monthly Mag. XLVIII. 114 Equal to being tweaked by the nose, spitten upon and buffeted. 1825 Scott Talism. viii, ‘Out upon the hound!’ said Richard, spitting in contempt, by way of interjection. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxxviii, ‘The more fool you!’ said Legree, spitting scornfully at him. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn li, They spit when they pass a temple; they turn away with horror from sacrifices. |
b. In
fig. use;
freq. with
in one's face.
| (a) 1562 Winȝet Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 108 Think ȝe nocht that this maist barber ruidnes..wald be spittit at be a Iow or an Ethnik? 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 327/2 There⁓fore they are so much the more to be accursed and to be spette at. 1612 Bp. Hall Contempl., O.T. ii. iv, How shall not all the world spit at this holy cruelty. 1663 Bp. Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xx, They will strain themselves to spit upon their sins. 1716 M. Davies Athen. Brit. II. 220 Simon Magus was betimes spit upon by the Primitive Bishop Irenæus. 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. xiii, I am a Christian man, spitting at, and bidding defiance to, Apollo, Bacchus, Comus, and all other heathen deities. 1851 Mrs. Browning Casa Guidi Wind. i. 288 If we turned and spat Upon our antecedents, we were vile. 1868 Tennyson Lucretius 196, I hate, abhor, spit, sicken at him. |
| (b) 1639 S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 286 You spit upon your owne face. a 1715 Burnet Own Time (1766) II. 143 He said the petitioners for a Parliament spit in the king's face. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. 637 They could get no other answer than that God had spitten in his face. 1810 W. Wilson Hist. Dissent. Ch. III. 86 Say he died spitting in the devil's face, contemning him and his doctrine. |
7. To eject saliva from the mouth; to expectorate.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 13544 Wit þis vn-to þe erth he spitt. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 40 But þo þat feynen hem folis..Spitten and spewen and speke foule wordes. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 469 Spyttyn, screo, spuo, exspuo. a 1450 Myrc Par. Pr. 890 Kepe þe welle þat þou ne spytte. 1530 Palsgr. 728 It is a foule thyng at a sermonde to here people spytte and retche or rough as they do. 1599 B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. iii. i, I haue beene taking an ounce of tabacco hard by here,..and I am come to Spit priuate in Paules. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. 186 Hee was never seene abroad and out of his house to have snit his nose, or spit. 1674 R. Godfrey Inj. & Ab. Physic 131 He almost continually spitted, and daily grew worse. c 1720 Prior Conversat. 67 Out of breath, he turn'd to spit. 1778 in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) III. 295 She spits and coughs much. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 68 When any of you has a bad dream, spit three times over your left shoulder. 1892 T. Hardy Well-Beloved iii. i, Men drank, smoked, and spat in the inns. |
b. With preps., as
about,
against,
at,
in,
into,
on,
upon. Also
spec. with
out, of ceramic glazes: to form blisters which burst during firing.
| 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xxviii. 14 If thou shul spitten vpon it, it shal ben queynt. 14.. Rule Syon Monast. liii. in Collect. Topogr. (1834) I. 31 None schal..spyt up on the stayres..but yf they trede it oute forthewythe. 1526 Tindale John ix. 6 As sone as he had thus spoken, he spate on the grounde. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. i. 40 Spit in the hole man, and tune againe. 1605 Daniel Queen's Arcadia 125 Wks. (Grosart) III. 221 If she meet but with my dog, she..playes with his eares, Spits in his mouth. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Unkindness iii, My friend may spit upon my curious floore. 1668 H. More Div. Dial. ii. xviii. (1713) 146 To spit in the Mouth of a Dog..is not indecorous for the Man, and grateful also to the Dog. 1714 Addison Lover No. 39, Sitting at table, he spits full upon the servants who waited there. 1777 Brand Pop. Antiq. 101 note, In Combinations of the Colliers, &c. in the North, for the Purpose of raising their Wages, they are said to spit upon a Stone together, by Way of cementing their Confederacy. 1824 Landor Imag. Conv. Wks. 1853 I. 45/1 Nick gave unto him a shilling, having first spatten thereon, as he, according to his superstition, said, for luck. 1861 Petherick Egypt, etc. 424 Then rising and spitting in my face in token of amity, he said he was happy that I had sent for him. 1883 Stevenson Silverado Sq. 146, I could not continue to give him a salary for spitting on the floor. 1904 Trans. Eng. Ceramic Soc. IV. 30 The china vase..with the Seger porcelain glaze..has no sign of blister.., and does not spit out in the kiln. Ibid. 32 The earthenware trials that have spit out are not verified by the china trials. |
c. to spit in or on one's hands, in
fig. use.
| 1577 Grange Gold. Aphrod. H j b, If I haue anoynted your palmes with hope, spitte on your handes and take good holde. 1590 Greene Neuer too Late Wks. (Grosart) VIII. 85 What Francesco? spit on thy hand, and lay holde on thy hart. 1834 [S. Smith] Lett. J. Downing xxvii. (1835) 185 Afore I had time to spit in my hands, the Gineral finished the war. 1949 H. L. Mencken Mencken Chrestomathy xxx. 626 Is it hot in the rolling-mill? Are the hours long? Is $15 a day not enough? Then escape is very easy. Simply throw up your job, spit on your hands, and write another ‘Rosenkavalier’. a 1975 Wodehouse Sunset at Blandings (1977) ii. 20 There was a time when you had to employ wild horses to drag me from London, and they had to spit on their hands and make a special effort. |
d. Of certain animals when angry.
| a 1668 R. Lassels Voy. Italy (1698) II. 199 The Lion and the Leopard fighting together, spit angerly in one anothers faces. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) IV. 314 A whole day is often passed..which is spent in growling, quarrelling, and spitting at each other. 1844 Hood Tale of Temper 52 No household cat that ever lapp'd To swear and spit was half so apt. 1872 ‘A. Merion’ Odd Echoes Oxf. 3 Reproving My grimalkin for the dreadful way in which she spat and swore. |
† e. Phr. (See
quot., and
cf. 7 b,
quot. 1777.)
Obs.| 1777 Brand Pop. Antiq. 101 note, We have too a kind of popular Saying, when Persons are of the same Party, or agree in Sentiment, ‘they spit upon the same Stone’. |
8. To sputter.
| 1611 Cotgr., La lumiere petille, the candle sparkles, or spits. 1671 Grew Anat. Pl., Idea (1684) 17 So Fenil-Seeds, held in the flame of a Candle, will spit and spurtle. 1773 Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. 111, Zounds; how she fidgets and spits about like a catherine wheel. 1852 Reade Peg Woff. (1889) 6 The sausage began to ‘spit’. 1866 Watts Dict. Chem. IV. 326 If exposed to the air in the melted state it [sc. palladium] absorbs oxygen and spits like silver. 1871 Archaeol. XLIII. 101 Vegner's paper was bad, his ink worse, his pen ‘worser’ still, spitting strangely. |
9. a. Of rain or snow: To fall in scattered drops or flakes. (Usually with
it as subject.)
| 1778 [W. H. Marshall] Minutes Agric. Observ. 129 To sprinkle (or spit), to rain slow in largish drops. 1818 S. E. Ferrier Marriage vii, ‘And’—putting her hand out at the window—‘I think it's spitting already’. 1836–7 Dickens Sk. Boz, Tales vii, It had been ‘spitting’ with rain for the last half-hour. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xxv. 189 The fine snow..was caught by the wind and spit bitterly against us. 1887 Service Life Dr. Duguid 171 Feeling that it was spittin' through the win', I quickened my step. |
b. To penetrate as if sent by spitting.
| 1850 Blackw. Mag. May 554/1 A bullet whizzed by my head, and spat into the opposite bank. |
10. spit and polish, the occupation of cleaning up or furbishing, as part of the work of a sailor or soldier; also in extended use, precise correctness, smartness;
freq. as a derogatory expression in contrast with purposeful work or utility. Also
attrib., smart in appearance; hence
spit-and-polished adj.| 1895 Westm. Gaz. 13 Nov. 3/2 After all his energies had been expended on what in old days was termed ‘spit and polish’, he took the cow-pen in hand. 1898 United Service Mag. Dec. 277 To lessen the time spent in spit and polish to the detriment of real cavalry work. 1914 C. Beresford Mem. I. 120 From that day onwards I set myself steadily against bright-work and spit-and-polish. 1920 Q. Rev. Jan. 196 Gunnery had been neglected in pursuit of ‘spit and polish’. 1949 ‘J. Tey’ Brat Farrar xiii. 116 He had understood Brat's distrust of the [stables'] spit and polish. 1950 Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Va.) 23 Sept. 1/7 Officially Pretzer was..part of the spit and polish First Infantry Division. 1958 Times 12 Nov. 3/3 Holst's suite, ‘The Planets’, was very, very much better..thanks to..the orchestra's ever⁓increasing spit-and-polish. 1977 L. Meynell Hooky gets Wooden Spoon xiii. 172 Some nice chubby-faced spit and polish Sandhurst type. 1977 Times 8 Nov. 4/3 The spit-and-polished toecaps of his boots. 1979 United States 1980/81 (Penguin Travel Guides) 614 The 4,300 spit-and-polished midshipmen have a 3:45 pm dress parade on Warden Field. |
III. 11. The
vb. stem in combination as
spit-cat,
kitten colloq. = spitfire n. 3.
| 1898 A. Ollivant Owd Bob v. 51 Eh, but art' a tearin' spit-cat surely! 1912 Kipling Diversity of Creatures (1917) 9 There's a nice little spit-kitten for you! |
▸
colloq. (now chiefly
Brit.).
to spit feathers. Chiefly in
pres. pple. a. To have a parched or dry mouth; to be (extremely) thirsty.
| 1917 Boston Sunday Globe 11 Nov. (Sunday Globe Mag. section) 7/5 You can't make it out so, not even if you stand here and talk till you spit feathers. 1997 C. Higson et al. Fast Show: Ser. 3 (BBC TV script for Audience Studio 1, 29 Aug.) 34 All joking aside, love, I'm spitting feathers here, let's have a nice cuppa. 2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents 198 Pints for the workers, we're spitting feathers here. |
b. To be or become (extremely) angry or vexed.
| 1977 D. Mayleas Rewedded Bliss x. 230 Sometimes I could spit feathers. Tom and I have been married three years and he will still sometimes call me Tina. That's the name of his former wife. 1992 Guardian 29 May 17/1 He has been left out for his own good, but the Wigan playmaker is still spitting feathers over his omission from a Test. 2003 J. Stevenson Empress of Last Days 340 She'd be spitting feathers at the implication that Barbados was some kind of primitive culture. |
▪ VI. spit, v.3 Now
dial. Also 7
spitt.
[OE. spittan, = MDu. and MLG. spitten (Flem., Du., LG. spitten, WFris. spitte, NFris. spat; also MDu. spetten, MLG. speten), perh. related to spit n.1] 1. intr. To dig with a spade; to delve.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. ix. 184 An hep of eremites henten hem spades, Spitten and spradde donge in despit of hunger. 1648 Hexham ii, Spaden, to Delve, or to Spit. |
2. trans. To plant with a spade.
| 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. 453 When the heads thereof [sc. saffron] have been plucked up and after twenty daies spitted or set againe under mould. 1728 Phil. Trans. XXXV. 573 Spitting and setting the Heads, 1l. 12s. 0d. |
b. intr. To admit of being dug in.
| a 1722 Lisle Husb. (1757) 19 If dung was..short, such as ox-dung and horse-dung that would spit. |
3. trans. To dig (
up) with a spade; also, to turn up with a plough.
So
OE. wád spittan, to dig up woad.
| 1648 Hexham ii, Spitten, to Spitt, as, to Spitt turfe. 1725 Phil. Trans. XXXIII. 397 Oftentimes the Tenants spit up as much as will serve their Turn for a Winter's burning. 1764 Randall in Museum Rust. III. 95 He must remember to go twice in a place with his plough, to keep the ground double spitted. 1843 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. IV. i. 41 Cross furrows..afterwards dug or ‘spitted’ by the spade. 1889 Trans. Dev. Assoc. XXI. 102 He sometimes comes up to spit the ground. |