Spat
WordNet
noun
(1) A young oyster or other bivalve
(2) A cloth covering (a legging) that covers the instep and ankles
(3) A quarrel about petty points
verb
(4) Clap one's hands together
"The children were clapping to the music"
(5) Spawn
"Oysters spat"
(6) Engage in a brief and petty quarrel
(7) Clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval
(8) Strike with a sound like that of falling rain
"Bullets were spatting the leaves"
(9) Become permanently attached
"Mollusks or oysters spat"
(10) Come down like raindrops
"Bullets were spatting down on us"
WiktionaryText
Verb
spat
-
- There was no sink in the room so we spat out the window.
- If I had known you had a spittoon in the corner I would never have spat on the floor.
Etymology 3
Shortening of spatterdash, from spatter + dash. 1779.
Noun
- A covering or decorative covering worn over a shoe.
- (UK, Australia) A piece of bodywork that covers the upper portions of the rear tyres of a car.
Verb
- To strike with a spattering sound.
- 1922, B. M. Bower, The Trail of the White Mule, ch. 3:
- He felt the wind of a second bullet that spatted against a boulder near Barney.
- 2007, Nolan Clay, "Co-workers testify about Kelsey's mother," Daily Oklahoman, 13 July, (retrieved 25 Aug. 2009):
- "She mentioned she had spatted Kelsey on her diaper with a hairbrush," said Mildred Johnson, a co-worker.
- 1922, B. M. Bower, The Trail of the White Mule, ch. 3: