Spat Names a Quarrel, a Shoe Cover and Baby Oysters

A spat is a petty quarrel, and also the past tense of *spit*. Two other spats exist. *Spats* were short cloth coverings buttoned over the ankle and shoe, short for *spatterdashes*, which kept mud off — standard formal wear until the 1930s. And in shellfish farming, *spat* is the collective term for young oysters that have just settled and attached to a surface. The quarrel sense is American, from the 1800s, probably imitative of a slap.

• A petty quarrel. *A brief spat.*
• Past tense of spit. *He spat it out.*
• An ankle covering. *A pair of spats.*
• Young oysters. *Oyster spat.*
• Spatterdashes — the full word. *Spatterdashes.*

Word forms

• They had a spat over nothing.Quarrel.
• He wore spats and a top hat.Clothing.
• The oyster spat settled.Shellfish.

Clothing that vanished

• Spats — ankle coverings against mud, gone by the 1930s
• Detachable collars — washed separately from the shirt
• Garters — held up men's socks before elastic
• Waistcoat pocket watches — displaced by wristwatches
• Hats — near-universal outdoors until the 1960s

The quarrel is American, from the 1800s, probably imitative. The covering is short for *spatterdashes*.