Spit it out is an Italian idiom, literally meaning “spit out the toad” In English. This expression symbolically expresses the act of finally admitting something that cannot or does not want to be said, such as a secret, a worry, or a source of anxiety. It is more or less equivalent to ” in Englishspit something out”.
speak out!
Spit it out! / Just tell me! / Get out!
But why the humble toad, you might ask? Well, in many cultures, this creature is often considered evil because of its association with witches and witchcraft. In fact, people once believed that witches could transform themselves into toads. (source: Oxford reference)
more importantly, frog Widely regarded as one of the least attractive creatures on the planet. In fact, in colloquial Italian, the word can be used figuratively to describe a person with an ugly complexion.
I’m sorry to say this, but your husband is a toad.
I’m sorry to say it, but her husband is really ugly.
this idiom Spit it out The act of confessing a closely guarded secret is compared to the disgusting thought of swallowing a toad, both actions being the body’s attempt to expel it.
Come on, spit it out! Sooner or later I’ll find out…
Come on, spit it out! I’ll find out sooner or later…
on the contrary, bite the bullet (literally “to swallow a toad”) refers to the act of being forced to accept something unpleasant, and can be expressed in English as the idiom “to swallow a bitter pill.”
Heather Broster is a graduate with honors in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, fluent in English and Italian, as well as varying degrees of fluency in Japanese, Welsh and French. Originally from Toronto, Heather has lived in several countries, notably Italy for six years. Her main research areas are language acquisition, education and bilingual teaching.
