Gosh spat the betel off his chin with the hem of his dhoti.

[Caterina89]

Is this collocation deviant from standard English?
The author is Indian.

Thank you very much.

"Gosh spat the betel off his chin with the hem of his dhoti" in the correct sentence.

 

[sound shift]

The grammar is correct, but the vocabulary seems strange. It is not possible to spit something off one's chin, whether with the hem of a dhoti or anything else: spitting implies an expulsion from the mouth. I would have said "Gosh brushed the betel off his chin ..."

 

[Linkway]

Or "Gosh wiped the betel off his chin..."

 

[sound shift]

That sounds good too.

 

[Sparky Malarky]

Maybe Gosh spat on the hem of his dhoti to dampen it, then used it to wipe the betel off his chin. But the original sentence is still wrong. Spit means to expel from the mouth, as Sound Shift said.

 

[Caterina89]

I think that you are right. Thank you for your help!