15 January 2018
spat(1)
[spat]
noun
1. a petty quarrel.
2. a light blow; slap; smack.
verb (used without object), spatted, spatting.
3. to engage in a petty quarrel or dispute.
4. to splash or spatter; rain spatting against the window.
verb (used with object), spatted, spatting.
5. to strike lightly; slap.
Origin of spat(1)
1795-1805 An Americanism dating back to 1795-1805; perhaps imitative
Synonyms
1. tiff, scrap, set-to.
spat(2)
[spat]
verb
1. a simple past tense and past participle of spit1.
spat(3)
[spat]
noun
1. a short gaiter worn over the instep and usually fastened under the foot with a strap, worn especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Origin
First recorded in 1795-1805; short for spatterdash
spat(4)
[spat]
noun
1. the spawn of an oyster or similar shellfish.
2. young oysters collectively.
3. a young oyster.
4. seed oyster.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English; origin uncertain
spit(1)
[spit]
verb (used without object), spit or spat, spitting.
1. to eject saliva from the mouth; expectorate.
2. to express hatred, contempt, etc., by or as if by ejecting saliva from the mouth.
3. to sputter:
grease spitting on the fire.
4. to fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow.
verb (used with object), spit or spat, spitting.
5. to eject from the mouth:
The children were spitting watermelon seeds over the fence.
6. to throw out or emit like saliva:
The kettle spits boiling water over the stove.
7. to set a flame to.
noun
8. saliva, especially when ejected.
9. the act of spitting.
10. Entomology.. Also called spittle. the frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs.
11. a light fall of rain or snow.
Verb phrases
12. spit up, to vomit; throw up:
The wounded soldier spat up blood. If you jostle the baby, she’ll spit up.
Idioms
13. spit and image, Informal. exact likeness; counterpart:
Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work.
Also, spitting image, spit ‘n’ image.
Origin
before 950; (v.) Middle English spitten, Old English spittan; cognate with German (dial.) spitzen to spit; akin to Old English spǣtan to spit, spātl spittle; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.
Related forms
spitlike, adjective
Synonyms
3. spatter.
spit(2)
[spit]
noun
1. a pointed rod or bar for thrusting through and holding meat that is to be cooked before or over a fire.
2. any of various rods, pins, or the like used for particular purposes.
3. a narrow point of land projecting into the water.
4. a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore.
verb (used with object), spitted, spitting.
5. to pierce, stab, or transfix, as with a spit; impale on something sharp.
6. to thrust a spit into or through.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English spite, Old English spitu; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German spit, spet, Old High German spiz spit; akin to Old Norse spīta peg
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for spat
Contemporary Examples
Upstairs, in the living room, splintered logs of hemlock cackled and spat from inside the wood stove.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau
Ian Frisch
December 20, 2014
They kicked and fought and spat and succeeded in repeatedly filling their opponents with fear.
Of Gamers, Gates, and Disco Demolition: The Roots of Reactionary Rage
Arthur Chu
October 16, 2014
He licked them up with a slick bronzy tongue and spat a thick wad of honey-brown juice into the empty teacup.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand
Elliot Ackerman
July 6, 2014
Anagram
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Today’s quote
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
On this day
15 January – Martin Luther King Day, a public holiday in the United States of America, held on the third Monday in January, to celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, a clergyman who promoted non-violent activism to achieve civil rights, particularly for African Americans.
15 January 1929 – birthday of Martin Luther King. American civil rights activist and clergyman. Died 4 April 1968.
15 January 1941 – birth of Don Van Vliet, American singer, songwriter, musician and artist, best known as Captain Beefheart. He used a rotating ensemble of musicians, called the Magic Band. Beefheart’s music was very avant-garde, blending jazz, psychedelia, blues and rock. He was friends with Frank Zappa and sometimes collaborated with him. His experimental and unrestrained style of music complimented Zappa’s often experimental but highly disciplined work. English DJ, John Peel, describe Captain Beefheart as, ‘a psychedelic shaman who frequently bullied his musicians and sometimes alarmed his fans, Don somehow remained one of rock’s great innocents‘. Died 17 December 2010.