Spit vs Rain - What's the difference?
spit | rain |
A rod on which meat is grilled (UK English) or broiled (US English).
A narrow, pointed, usually sandy peninsula.
* 1881 , :
The depth to which a spade goes in digging; a spade; a spadeful.
To impale on a spit.
* Shakespeare
To attend to a spit; to use a spit.
To spade; to dig.
(transitive) To evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth.
* 1994 , (Stephen Fry), (The Hippopotamus) Chapter 2
To rain or snow slightly, or with sprinkles.
* Charles Dickens
To utter violently.
* 1915 , , Shadows of Flames , page 240 [http://books.google.com/books?id=-9AcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA240&dq=spat]:
* 2004 , edition, ISBN 0743483790, chapter 3, page 23 [http://books.google.com/books?id=d9F9MUiOQD4C&pg=PA23&dq=spat]:
(transitive, slang, hip-hop) To utter.
* 2005 , Giselle Zado Wasfie, So Fly
(uncountable) Saliva]], especially when [[expectorate, expectorated.
(countable) An instance of spitting.
English terms with multiple etymologies
Condensed water falling from a cloud.
(figuratively) Any matter moving or falling, usually through air, and especially if liquid or otherwise figuratively identifiable with raindrops.
(figuratively) An instance of particles or larger pieces of matter moving or falling through air.
(impersonal) To have rain fall from the sky.
To fall as or like rain.
* Shakespeare
To fall in large quantities.
To issue (something) in large quantities.
As nouns the difference between spit and rain
is that spit is a rod on which meat is grilled (uk english) or broiled (us english) or spit can be (uncountable) saliva]], especially when [[expectorate|expectorated while rain is .As a verb spit
is to impale on a spit or spit can be (transitive) to evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth.spit
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) spitu , from (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)- Or perhaps he may see a group of washerwomen relieved, on a spit of shingle, against the blue sea [..]
- (Halliwell)
Verb
(spitt)- to spit a loin of veal
- infants spitted upon pikes
- She's spitting in the kitchen.
Etymology 2
From (etyl) spittan, from (etyl) (compare Danish spytte, Swedish spotta), from (etyl) Ayto, John, Dictionary of Word Origins , Arcade Publishing, New York, 1990, of imitiative origin (see spew)spew], [[w:Online Etymology Dictionary, Online Etymology Dictionary], Douglas Harper
Verb
- Don't spit on the street.
- The teacher told her to spit out her bubble gum.
- At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorations as the tree had recovered from the collision.
- It had been spitting with rain.
- "Why, you little emasculated Don Juan— You—" he spat an unmentionable name— "d'you think I'd fight one of your tin-soldier farces with you? Clear out!"
- "Gentleman? You?" he spat .
- A group of black guys were spitting rhymes in the corner, slapping hands and egging one another on.
Usage notes
* Spit'' as the past form is common only in the US, while ''spat is common everywhere.Synonyms
* expectorateDerived terms
* spit it out * spit nails * spitting chips * spitting distanceNoun
- There was spit all over the washbasin.
Synonyms
* expectoration, salivaDerived terms
* spitball * spit-cup * spitshine * spittoon * spit wadAnagrams
* * *References
rain
English
Noun
(en-noun)- We've been having a lot of rain lately .
- The rains came late that year.
- A rain of mortar fire fell on our trenches.
Alternative forms
* (l) (obsolete)Usage notes
* shower, downpour, drop are some of the words used to count rain.Synonyms
* See alsoDerived terms
en verb)- It will rain today.
- The rain it raineth every day.
- Tears rained from her eyes.
- Bombs rained from the sky.
- The boxer rained punches on his opponent's head.
