bittiness

English

Etymology

bitty +‎ -ness

Noun

bittiness (uncountable)

1. The quality of being bitty; fragmentedness.
   • 1931, E. M. Forster, “The Creator as Critic,” V., in Jeffrey M. Heath (ed.), The Creator as Critic And Other Writings by E.M. Forster, Toronto: Dundurn Press, p. 94,^[1]

     D[ryden]’s lit[erary] patriotism [is] genuine, but he made good use of it to cover up the “bittiness” of his own plays. He could always point to the “bittiness” of Shakespeare and does not realize that though Shakespeare wrote tragi-comedies and indulged in double plots, he nevertheless attained an unity of his own, an unity that is missed in e.g. The Spanish Fryar.

   • 1950, Mervyn Peake, chapter 33, in Gormenghast, London: Eyre & Spottiswoode:

     Each thing was seen on its own. The walls had to be a most tender shade of washed out coral. And the carpet had to be the kind of green that is almost grey, the flowers were arranged bowl by bowl, vase by vase, and though each was lovely in itself, there was no general beauty in the room. ¶ Unknown to her the ‘bittiness’ that resulted gave to the salon a certain informality far from her intentions.

   • 2012 September 18, Quentin Letts, “Love and Information is a mixed bag of Revels offering a lot to chew on”, in The Daily Mail:

     Some may find the evening unsatisfying. The mobile-phone generation may love its bittiness. It reminded me of a bag of Revels—numerous flavours but a unifying quality, which starts to become a little de trop towards the end of the bag.

2. (technical) The inclusion of material in paint or varnish films which disturbs the smooth uniformity of the coating.
   • 1994, John Hinks, Geoff Cook, The Technology of Building Defects‎^[2], Spon Press, published 2003, Section 6.5, p. 121:

     ‘Bittiness’ occurs when dirt is incorporated into the surface from the atmosphere or dirty tools, or if the paint is not properly strained.

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