Does “spitting feathers” mean to be thirsty or angry?

38 comments

1. I’ve never heard it for thirsty, just angry.

2. It’s anger. It means your Angry to the point of madness with flecks of saliva flying from the mouth of the angry person as they shout and yell at the object of their upset.

3. Only heard it as angry/annoyed

4. Nope. Usually refers to somebody being very angry. ‘He/She made me so angry I was almost spitting feathers.’

5. I’d never heard it used to mean *thirsty* but I checked on Wiktionary and that’s actually the first meaning listed. The second meaning listed is “to feel very angry”. Wonder if it’s a UK/US difference?

6. Always means to be thirsty in North of UK, never heard it to mean angry.

7. Where I’m from its only used to mean thirsty.

8. Everyone’s saying angry (and that’s what I would understand) but I remember hearing ‘spitting cotton’ for being extremely thirsty. Perhaps a conflation?

9. Angry

10. Thirsty (W. Yorkshire)

11. Angry.

12. Thirsty only ( North Mids ) as in “hurry up with that pint, I’m spitting feathers here”.

13. Extremely angry. Only this.

14. Angry.

15. Only ever known it to mean thirsty. From the north, if that makes any difference.

16. Always anger for me!

17. Angry

18. Thirsty (South Wales).

19. Until this post I’d never realised that I’ve heard it used both ways! My initial reaction would be to go with anger. I think.

    Edit to Add: Yorkshire.

20. I always thought it just meant angry, this thread has blown my mind!

21. Midlands. I’ve only heard it to mean thirsty. Spitting feathers because your mouth is so dry.

22. People saying angry are joking….right? It means thirsty and always has!

23. Definitely angry. Never heard of it meaning thirsty.

24. Angry, only ever angry 🤬😤👿

25. Thirsty deffo. NW

26. Only ever heard it to mean angry (East Anglia)

27. From Manchester, always used it to mean thirsty

28. I’ve only known ‘spitting feathers’ as thirsty (NW). Angry is ‘spitting blood’

29. Northerner here (Lancashire). I’ve only used the expression, and used it heard, for angry

30. Thirsty..

31. Thirsty. Only learnt it can mean ‘angry’ to some folk from a previous Reddit thread. NW England here in case it’s regional.

    Fwiw from Googling it seems ‘thirsty’ is the original meaning of the term, with roots going back to Tudor times. The ‘angry’ usage seems to have only cropped up in the 1970s.

    I imagine the ‘angry’ interpretation came about from confusion with phrases like ‘I could spit’ and just the general notion of spitting as an expression of contempt.

32. Thirsty (W. Midlands)

33. Thirsty

34. Thirsty! (From Norfolk)

35. Thirsty (Black Country, West Mids)

36. Thirsty

37. Thirsty (W. Yorks)

38. Spittin Feathers is the name of a brewery in Cheshire (Waverton near Chester). Their best pint (I think) is called Thirst Quencher