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Glite Dictionary
to spill ink

to spill ink

7.4
Write a lot, usually by hand with ink
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : escribir mucho
  • The journalist would often spill ink late into the night to meet her deadlines.

Examples

  • Many poets have spilled ink trying to capture the beauty of nature.

  • As an aspiring artist, she would spill ink on canvas, bringing her imaginative ideas to life.

  • He loves to spill ink on sketches before moving to digital art.

  • He loves to spill ink in his journal.

  • Why do you always spill ink on your notes?

  • Many poets have spilled ink trying to express their deepest emotions through verse.

  • The journalist would often spill ink on page after page as she documented her investigations.

Synonyms

to scribble
vsto spill ink
55 3.5

To write or draw quickly and carelessly so it is hard to read

is planned and extended creative writing or art made with ink
to scrawl
vsto spill ink
23 5.5

To write or draw quickly and carelessly so it is hard to read

is tidier and sustained artistic or written work using ink
to doodle
vsto spill ink
13 3.3

Draw quick, simple lines or shapes without thinking, often while doing something else

is deliberate and extensive creative mark-making with ink

How Productive

to compose
102 3.5
to pour out
  • Informal
33 3.9
to spill ink
7.4
to write
∞ 1.0
to scribble
55 3.5

Surface Forms

spill ink infinitive
spilled ink past
spilled ink past participle
spilling ink present participle
spills ink third person singular

Morphology

spill + ink

The phrase combines 'spill' and 'ink' in a way that can evoke writing (releasing ink onto a page), so there is a recognizable metaphorical link to producing written or artistic output. However, the specific sense 'to write extensively / create art' is not a conventional, fully predictable meaning and could easily be taken literally by a B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Spill ink may come from the image of someone letting ink spill or flow over paper as they write or draw, as if their ideas pour out. So, the phrase now means 'to write a lot' or 'to create a lot of art'.