“Spitten” is a regional, non-standard past-participle of spit. “Spitten image” refers to an image that someone has spit, just as the phrase “proven allegation” refers to an allegation that someone has proved.

But why spit? Fair warning, the answer delves into some adult content

Spit usually makes us think about saliva, but to figure out this phrase, you need to think about a different bodily fluid that can be, ahem, spit. One that’s involved in the act of procreation.

Catch our drift?

If you use that meaning of spit, then you can imagine how a child could be seen as something that could be spit -- a spitten image of their parent.

- ‘Spitting image’ has nothing to do with saliva, MichiganRadio.org, July 2, 2017.

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

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