Sputare il rospo is an Italian idiom that literally translates to “spit out the toad” in English. This expression figuratively conveys the act of finally confessing something that one couldn’t or didn’t want to say, such as a secret, concern, or source of anxiety. It more or less equates to the English “to spit something out“.
Sputa il rospo!
Spit it out! / Just tell me! / Out with it!
But why the humble toad, you might ask? Well, in many cultures, this creature is often perceived as evil due to its association with witches and witchcraft. In fact, it was once believed was that witches were capable of transforming themselves into toads. (Source: Oxford Reference)
What’s more, rospi are widely considered one of the least attractive creatures on this planet. Indeed, in colloquial Italian, the term can be used figuratively to describe a person with a hideous complexion.
Mi dispiace dirlo, ma suo marito è davvero un rospo.
I’m sorry to say this, but her husband is really ugly.
This idiom sputare il rospo draws a parallel between the act of confessing a closely guarded secret and the unpalatable notion of ingesting a toad, both of which the body seeks to eject.
Dai, sputa il rospo! Tanto prima o poi lo scoprirò…
Come on, spit it out! I’ll find out sooner or later…
On the contrary, ingoiare il rospo (literally “to swallow the toad”) refers to the act of being forced to accept something unpleasant, which in English can be expressed with the idiom “to swallow a bitter pill”.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
