Spitting Feathers? What do you think it means?

[erikbloodaxe]

I was just reading an article where someone used 'Spitting feathers' to mean they were angry. Now I've only ever used the term/ heard the term in meaning I'm thirsty.

I'm in my 50's and now wonder when/if the meaning changed.

What does it mean to you, Angry or Thirsty and how old are you?

Thirsty. I get irrationally annoyed when it is used to mean angry. It is spitting tacks when you're angry imo.

I always thought it was thirsty!

Oh and I'm 40, live in the north west.

It means you're raging mad like furious blood boiling type of anger

I just turned 30

Absolutely raging.

Angry. Mid 40s.

I'm mid 50s
I've only heard it used to mean angry.

I'm in my 50s (forgot to answer that but)

Thirsty, I'm in my 40's, in Yorkshire, my grandparents used to say it a lot to mean thirsty too.

I've heard it used for both.

I suppose, if 'hangry' is a thing for food, maybe there's also a link with being thirsty, so you could be both at the same time?!

To the pp who thought I'd misheard it thanks but most definitely didn't.

This.

I wonder if it is regional? I'm North Wales.

I've never heard the phrase spitting tacks.

No it hasn't.

I'm mid 50s, and have seen it go from thirsty in the 60s to angry in the 70s/80s.

I just don't use it...

Angry, in my 50s, southeast.

Angry, 29

To me spitting blood/tacks would mean angry.

Feathers in your mouth would be drying and make you thirsty though. Makes sense.

www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/spitting-feathers.html

According to this the original meaning was thirsty but it has gradually come to mean angry. So it looks like thirsty is the original correct meaning.

Angry. I'm 49.

I didn’t know it could mean angry

Thirsty. Always known it as thirsty. I think Jim Royal once used it on The Royal Family as in: “Put the kettle on, Barb, I’m spitting feathers here.”

I have often heard it used for angry but I always think this is wrong.

Angry

I’d always known it to mean thirsty but now seems to mean angry.

@ChessieFL brilliant thank you!