spit it out

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

spit it out (third-person singular simple present spits it out, present participle spitting it out, simple past spat it out or spit it out, past participle spat it out)

1. (informal, often imperative) To overcome reluctance to say something particular or to speak in general.

   – Sir, I ... I ... er ...
   – Come on man! Spit it out!

   • 1889, Anton Chekhov, translated by Julius West, The Proposal:

     CHUBUKOV. Oh, don't go round and round it, darling! Spit it out! Well?
     LOMOV. One moment ... this very minute. The fact is, I've come to ask the hand of your daughter, Natalya Stepanovna, in marriage.

   • 1906 May–October, Jack London, chapter V, in White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 4 (The Superior Gods):

     "Well, don't be a miser with what you know," Scott said sharply, after waiting a suitable length of time. "Spit it out. What is it?"

   • 1920, Sabine Baring-Gould, chapter XXII, in Mehalah: a story of the salt marshes:

     "Hark ye, mistress," said the shepherd. "I've had much on my tongue this many a day, but you haven't given me the chance to spit it out. I won't be put off any longer."

Synonyms

• out with it (phrase)

Antonyms

• beat around the bush

Translations

to overcome reluctance to say something particular or to speak in general

• Finnish: kakistaa (fi)
• French: cracher le morceau (fr)
• German: spuck's aus (slang, only imperative)
• Hungarian: kibök (hu), kinyög (hu), (imperative) ki vele, nyögd már ki, bökd már ki
• Polish: wypluwać impf, wypluć (pl) pf
• Portuguese: desembuchar (pt)
• Russian: выкла́дывать (ru) impf (vykládyvatʹ), коло́ться (ru) impf (kolótʹsja)
• Welsh:
  • North: allan â fo
  • South: mas ag e

See also

• spill one's guts