Spit, spat, spitten

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>... I can count on one hand the times I've heard people
>use "spat" as the past tense/participle of "spit".  While dictionaries I've
>consulted still list "spat" as the past tense, very few people (including
>educated speakers) use it; they use "spit" as past and present.   Does usage
>dictate that "spat" be dropped?

No.

"Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage" (1989):

"The common verb _spit_ has as its past tense and past participle either
_spat_ or _spit_.

"The British prefer _spat_, but both forms are widespread in American
English. ...

"Nonstandard variants are _spitted_ and _spitten_:

"... like someone had spitten tobacco into it --Dave Godfrey, in _Canadian
Short Stories, Second Series_, ed. Robert Weaver, 1968"

I use spit, spat, spat, BTW.

I can't think of five examples of ANY spoken past form of "spit" from my
own experience right now (although my impression is that "spit" and "spat"
are both common). Maybe my friends don't chew much tobacco ....

-- Doug Wilson