Archaeologists define retouch as the trace left by chipping a flint flake into a specific form. Retouch may also be produced unintentionally. either by heavy utilisation of a flake, or during the original detachment of the flake from its core. This last form of retouch – spontaneous retouch' – is examined in this paper, and the problem of distinguishing deliberate retouch, utilisation, ......... and spontaneous retouch is discussed.