~ 1
■ verb ( ~s , ~ting ; past and past participle spat or ~ )
1》 eject saliva forcibly from one's mouth.
↘forcibly eject (food or liquid) from one's mouth.
↘( ~ up ) N. Amer. (especially of a baby) vomit.
2》 utter in a hostile way.
3》 (of a fire or something being cooked) emit small bursts of sparks or hot fat with a series of explosive noises.
4》 ( it ~s , it is ~ting , etc.) Brit. light rain falls.
■ noun
1》 saliva.
2》 an act of ~ting.
Phrases
be the ~ (or the dead ~ ) of informal look exactly like. [see ~ting image .]
~ blood (or Austral. chips ) feel or express vehement anger.
~ in the eye (or face ) of show contempt or scorn for.
~ it out [in imperative ] informal say something unhesitatingly.
~-and-sawdust Brit. informal (of a pub) old-fashioned and simple, of a type whose floor was originally covered with sawdust.
Derivatives
~ty adjective
Origin
OE ~tan , of imitative origin.
————————
~ 2
■ noun
1》 a long, thin metal rod pushed through meat in order to hold and turn it while it is roasted over an open fire.
2》 a narrow point of land projecting into the sea.
■ verb ( ~s , ~ting , ~ted ) put a ~ through (meat).
Origin
OE ~u , of W. Gmc origin.
————————
~ 3
■ noun ( plural same or ~s ) a layer of earth whose depth is equal to the length of the blade of a spade.
Origin
C16: from MDu. and Mid. Low Ger.; prob. related to ~ 2 .