Why is it called a spitting image?

as like the papists, as if they had beene spit out of their mouthes. So it would appear that the metaphor of spitting something out of one’s mouth gradually shifted to become the very spit of (something), which then turned into spit and image, which in turn became spitten image and settled on spitting image.

What is it spitting image or splitting image?

“For the majority of language columnists, spittin’ image is a euphemistic alteration or ‘corruption’ of the original expression, spit and image,” Horn wrote in a paper on the topic. Others maintain the true phrase is “splitting image,” as though a person had been split into two mirror images.

How do you use spitting image in a sentence?

(1) Nina looks the spitting image of Sissy Spacek. (2) He’s the spitting image of his mother. (3) She’s the spitting image of her mother. (4) He’s the spitting image of his father.

What does the idiom spit it out mean?

informal. used to tell someone to start speaking or to speak more quickly, when they are unwilling to speak or are speaking slowly: Come on, spit it out, who told you about this? SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.

Is spitting image an idiom?

A precise resemblance, especially in closely related persons. For example, Dirk is the spitting image of his grandfather. This idiom alludes to the earlier use of the noun spit for “likeness,” in turn probably derived from an old proverb, “as like as one as if he had been spit out of his mouth” (c.

Is spitting image correct?

Spitting image is the usual modern form of the idiom meaning exact likeness, duplicate, or counterpart. The original phrase was spit and image, inspired by the Biblical God’s use of spit and mud to create Adam in his image. But spitting image has been far more common than spit and image for over a century.

Is spit it out an idiom?

To succeed in saying something, especially with difficulty. Often used in the imperative phrase “spit it out.” I tried spitting an answer out, but my nervousness made me stutter too badly.

What does chew you up and spit you out mean?

Definition of chew (someone) up and spit (him or her) out : to defeat (someone) badly That district attorney will chew you up and spit you out in the courtroom.

What is spit image?

Spitting image is the usual modern form of the idiom meaning exact likeness, duplicate, or counterpart. The original phrase was spit and image, inspired by the Biblical God’s use of spit and mud to create Adam in his image.

What does the expression ‘Spitting Image’ mean?

“Spitting image” means that two people look identical to each other. The people aren’t relevant, as long as they look the same. For example, it can refer to a daughter looking like her mother, but it can refer to a young man looking like a well-known celebrity.

What is the definition of Spitting Image?

Spitting Image.The phrase ‘Spitting Image’ is used to say that one thing is the exact likeness of another.Example of Use: “That restored Mustang is the spitting image of the one I bought brand new back in 1982.”. The term ‘spitting image’ is an allusion to someone who is so like someone else as to appear to have been spat from his mouth.

What is the origin of the phrase Spitting Image?

What is the origin of the figure of speech, “spitting image”? It’s actually “spitten image” – the more common modern form “spitting image” appears to have started off life as an Americanism – presumably from people having misheard “spitten image”

Where does ‘Spitting Image’ come from?

Where does the term spitting image come from? The term ‘spitting image’ is an allusion to someone who is so like someone else as to appear to have been spat from his mouth. The concept and phrase were in circulation by 1689, when George Farquhar used it in his play Love and a Bottle: “Poor child!