A vivid British colloquial phrase with two distinct meanings. In theatre and film, it refers to a tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it role — just a cough and a spit's worth of screen or stage time, no lines or maybe one. In everyday British speech, it means an extremely short distance, as in 'it's just a cough and a spit away.' Both uses share the same idea: something so small it's over before it's begun. It's the kind of expression that captures British wit perfectly — humorous, understated, and immediately understood.
The village shop was a cough and a spit from the cottage, so they walked there every morning for milk.
No comments yet — say something.
(film, theatre) A minor role.
No comments yet — say something.
(UK, colloquial) A very short distance.
No comments yet — say something.
Add your own interpretation of "cough and a spit".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.