Im spitting feathers

[freak_unique]

Why do people say when they are thirsty "Im spitting feathers"? Does anyone know where it originates from? Thanks in advance!

[weeal]

Apparently:

Angry to the point of madness with flecks of saliva flying from the mouth of the angry person as they shout and yell at the object of their upset. These flecks were likened to very small feathers or small parts of larger feathers hence 'Spitting feathers'.

[Pippa68]

It can also mean that you are angry (rather like 'spitting blood'.) Apparently when someone is angry they spit foam, which may look like feathers. I also found this for the 'thirsty' definition:

Where it came from is suggested by Charles Wilson, whose childhood was spent in the southern USA: �I have often heard the expression, �I�m so thirsty I feel like I have a mouthful of feathers�, which strikes me as wonderfully descriptive�. Alice Battles and Joel Showalter mentioned �spitting cotton�, another way of expressing dryness once common in the American south, which is clearly a related idea.

[freak_unique]

cheers for your answers guys makes more sense now :)

[jhiker]

"..angry to the point of madness with flecks of saliva flying from the mouth.."

Similar to the more descriptive (and rather more colourful) Aussie expression;
'So angry he was farting sparks!'