English Reference
Idiom idiom

dummy spit


The act of overreacting (as an adult) to a situation childishly, in an angry or frustrated manner.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He had a dummy spit when he lost the game.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager had a total dummy spit in front of the team because the report was five minutes late.

COMPLEX

Despite his professional reputation, he threw a public dummy spit when the committee rejected his proposal, shocking everyone in the boardroom.


disputed origin

From when babies have tantrums, and spit out any dummy that they may be sucking.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    chew the meat and spit out the bones

    To take in a great deal of information and selectively disregard some of it as invalid or inapplicable.

  2. 02

    dummy run

    A trial or practice before the real attempt.

  3. 03

    spit feathers

    To feel very thirsty.

  4. 04

    spit in the ocean

    A very small or insignificant amount; something of little importance.

  5. 05

    spit in the wind

    Alternative form of piss in the wind.

  6. 06

    spit into the wind

    Alternative form of piss in the wind.

  7. 07

    spit nails

    To speak or sputter in a very angry manner.

  8. 08

    spit on

    To show contempt for someone or something.

Last updated August 10, 2026