English Reference
Idiom idiom

spit nails


To speak or sputter in a very angry manner.

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


SIMPLE

He is spitting nails because he missed his train.

CONTEXTUAL

When the manager saw the broken equipment, he started spitting nails and demanded to know who was responsible.

COMPLEX

Upon discovering that his private correspondence had been leaked to the press, the politician began spitting nails, his face turning a deep shade of crimson as he confronted his staff.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  2. 02

    bite one's nails

    To worry or fret over something.

  3. 03

    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.

  4. 04

    dummy spit

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

  5. 05

    final nail in the coffin

    Something that is ultimately responsible for a previously prospective demise or failure.

  6. 06

    hard as nails

    Very unsympathetic; callous

  7. 07

    hit the nail on the head

    To identify something exactly; to arrive at exactly the right answer.

  8. 08

    last nail in the coffin

    Alternative form of final nail in the coffin.

Last updated August 10, 2026