密歇根新闻广播 你知道Spitting image是什么意思吗

If a child looks a lot like one of their parents, people will sometimes say they're the "spitting image" of the parent. But others will say the child is the "spit and image" of their parent.

So which is right? That's exactly what a listener from Kansas named Ken¹ wanted to know.

"Growing up, I had always heard, or misheard, and repeated the phrase, 'spitting image' -- as in, he's the spitting image of his father," Ken writes.

Recently, Ken was reading a review for a camera when he saw the phrase "spit and image." Now he wants to know which interpretation² is correct.

When you think about it, neither really make much sense.

"Spitting image" is particularly hard to pick apart, because we don't understand why an image would be spitting. However, "spit and image" makes sense if you know that spit can be a noun meaning image or likeness³.

If that's the case, then "spit and image" is redundant⁴ but emphatic⁵. If someone is the spit and image of someone else, then they're the image and the image.

But Yale linguist⁶ Larry Horn says that's not where this phrase comes from. In an article in American Speech, he says the phrase actually began as "spitten image."

"Spitten" is a regional, non-standard past-participle of spit. "Spitten image" refers to an image that someone has spit, just as the phrase "proven allegation" refers to an allegation that someone has proved.

But why spit? Fair warning, the answer delves⁷ into some adult content

Spit usually makes us think about saliva⁸, but to figure out this phrase, you need to think about a different bodily fluid that can be, ahem, spit. One that's involved in the act of procreation.

Catch our drift?

If you use that meaning of spit, then you can imagine how a child could be seen as something that could be spit -- a spitten image of their parent.

1 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

2 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

3 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

4 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。

5 emphatic   

adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的

参考例句：

• Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。
• He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。

6 linguist   

n.语言学家；精通数种外国语言者

参考例句：

• I used to be a linguist till I become a writer.过去我是个语言学家，后来成了作家。
• Professor Cui has a high reputation as a linguist.崔教授作为语言学家名声很高。

7 delves   

v.深入探究，钻研( delve的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• That delves the grave duly. 误不了你的洞房。 来自互联网
• The exhibition delves deep into the physics, aromatics and even the timbre of flatulence. 此次展览向人们介绍了人体物理、气味甚至肠胃胀气的声音等各方面知识。 来自互联网

8 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。