KNOW YOUR ENGLISH What is the difference between ‘altercation’ and ‘spat’? An altercation is when two people disagree about something, and have a loud argument about it in public. It may be about something important or trivial, but it usually results in the two people not speaking to each other for some time. *According to the coach, the altercation started in the gym. ‘Spat’ is mostly used in informal contexts to refer to an argument about something very trivial; it doesn’t usually last for any length of time and is not necessarily loud. One usually talks about a ‘lover’s spat’. The couple usually has a fight over something rather silly and they make up very quickly. It does not, as in the case of an altercation, necessarily result in a breakup. *Sheba is in a bad mood because she had a spat with her husband. S. UPENDRAN TH140107
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 11:27:51 +0000
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