spitting image

US: /ˈspɪtɪŋ ˈɪmədʒ/

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

spit′ting im′age, [Informal.]

1. See spit ¹ (def. 13).

• 1925–30; from the phrase spit and image (see spit¹) by confusion of spit and with spittin'; compare earlier the very spit of the exact likeness of 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

spitting image noun

1. a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another, esp to a relative
   Also called: spit, spit and image

Etymology: 19th Century: modification of spit and image, from spit¹ (as in the phrase the very spit of, the exact likeness of (someone))