Where did the saying 'the spittin' image' come from?

Jack Flash

There seems to be some dispute about this. One theory, supported by Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, is that it is a corruption of the earlier phrase 'the very spit and image', referring to two people so similar that even their spit was alike. The change to 'spittin'' came about from the tendency amongst boys to spit like their fathers. The second theory, contained in Nigel Rees' book Phrases and Sayings, is that the phrase is a corruption of 'speaking image' or 'splitting image' (two split halves of the same tree which provide an exact likeness), or a Black Southern US pronunciation of 'spirit and image' (which a true likeness might have). The phrase appears to date from around the beginning of the 20th century. Nov 04 01, 3:31 AM

Senior Moments

spitting image A precise resemblance, especially in closely related persons. For example, Dirk is the spitting image of his grandfather. This idiom alludes to the earlier use of the noun spit for 'likeness,' in turn probably derived from an old proverb, 'as like as one as if he had been spit out of his mouth' (c. 1400). The current idiom dates from about 1900. The American Heritage%AE Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer %A9 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust Nov 04 01, 11:56 AM