Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
An alteration of the earlier spitten image (see spitten). A popular folk etymology explains this phrase as deriving from the idea of a father spitting out a child whole from his mouth, as if giving birth. However, spitten image actually developed from spit and image, where spit in this context means “likeness”. Terban further suggests a derivation of this sense of spit from the word spirit, but evidence for this is lacking. Another theory is that the idiom is Biblical, after an image of God spitting into dry earth to make the clay out of which Adam would be formed.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan estampa, retrat
- estampathe exact likeness of someone
- retratthe exact likeness of someone
Chinese Mandarin 一模一样, 活像
- 一模一样 (yīmóyīyàng)the exact likeness of someone
- 活像 (huóxiàng)the exact likeness of someone
Czech jako by z oka vypadl, být podobný jako vejce vejci
- jako by z oka vypadlthe exact likeness of someone
- být podobný jako vejce vejcithe exact likeness of someone
Dutch twee druppels water
- twee druppels waterthe exact likeness of someone
Finnish aivan samannäköinen kuin, ilmetty
- aivan samannäköinen kuinthe exact likeness of someone
- ilmettythe exact likeness of someone
French portrait craché
- portrait crachéthe exact likeness of someone
German Ebenbild
- Ebenbildthe exact likeness of someone
Hungarian kiköpött mása
- kiköpött másathe exact likeness of someone
Icelandic lifandi eftirmynd
- lifandi eftirmyndthe exact likeness of someone
Indonesian seperti pinang dibelah dua
- seperti pinang dibelah duathe exact likeness of someone
Irish ar athphrátaí
- ar athphrátaíthe exact likeness of someone
Italian spaccato, tale e quale
- spaccatothe exact likeness of someone
- tale e qualethe exact likeness of someone
Japanese そっくり, クリソツ
- そっくり (sokkuri)the exact likeness of someone
- クリソツ (kurisotsu)the exact likeness of someone
Polish sobowtór, podobny jak dwie krople wody
- sobowtórthe exact likeness of someone
- podobny jak dwie krople wodythe exact likeness of someone
- wykapanythe exact likeness of someone
Portuguese cuspido e escarrado
- cuspido e escarradothe exact likeness of someone
Russian вы́литый, вы́литый портре́т
- вы́литый (výlityj)the exact likeness of someone
- вы́литый портре́т (výlityj portrét)the exact likeness of someone
- то́чная ко́пия (tóčnaja kópija)the exact likeness of someone
Scottish Gaelic cho coltach ri
- cho coltach rithe exact likeness of someone
Spanish el vivo retrato, la viva imagen
- el vivo retratothe exact likeness of someone
- la viva imagenthe exact likeness of someone
- la viva estampathe exact likeness of someone
- clavaditothe exact likeness of someone
Swedish på pricken lik, upp i dagen
- på pricken likthe exact likeness of someone
- upp i dagenthe exact likeness of someone
Ukrainian викапаний
- викапаний (vykapanyj)the exact likeness of someone
Cite this entry
spitting image. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spitting%20image
“spitting image.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spitting%20image. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spitting image,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spitting%20image.
Source: spitting image on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.