twit

English

Etymology

Originally twite, an aphetism of Middle English atwite.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /twɪt/
• Rhymes: -ɪt

Verb

twit (third-person singular simple present twits, present participle twitting, simple past and past participle twitted)

1. (transitive) To reproach, blame; to ridicule or tease.
   • 1590, Shakespeare. History of Henry VI, Part II, Act III, Scene I

     "Hath he not twit our sovereign lady here / With ignominious words, though clerkly couch'd, / As if she had suborned some to swear / False allegations to o'erthrow his state? " -

   • 1955, Rex Stout, "When a Man Murders...", in Three Witnesses, October 1994 Bantam edition, ISBN 0553249592, page 106:

     Mr. Cramer, a policeman, came this morning and twitted me for having let a murderer hoodwink me.

   • 2007, Bernard Porter, "Did He Puff his Crimes to Please a Bloodthirsty Readership?", review of Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa’s Greatest Explorer by Tim Jeal, London Review of Books, 5 April, 29:7, p. 10

     H. R. Fox Bourne, secretary of the Aborigines' Protection Society – often twitted for being an ‘armchair critic’ – wrote in a review of one of Stanley's books […]

   • Tillotson

     This these scoffers twitted the Christian with.

   • L'Estrange

     Aesop minds men of their errors, without twitting them for what is amiss.

2. (transitive, computing) To ignore or killfile (a user on a bulletin board system).
   • 1995, "Michelle Jackson", Debutante/Question about Tori Shirts (on newsgroup rec.music.tori-amos)

     However, on the Internet BBS's such as Quartz (now dead), Prism, Monsoon, Sunset, ect^[sic], someone pulling that kind of crap is likely to get flamed quite fast and twitted before he/she can breathe.

Translations

To reproach, blame; to ridicule or tease

• Finnish: kiusoitella (fi), feet herro (fi), feet herro (fi)
• Neapolitan: sfotte

• Romanian: mustra (ro)
• Russian: упрекать (ru) (uprekatʹ)

Noun

twit (plural twits)

1. A reproach, gibe or taunt.
2. A foolish or annoying person.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Larry Kramer, Just Say No

     What do you mean, since when did I become such a radical fairy? Since I started knowing twits like you, you twit!

Usage notes

In the UK and UK English-speaking areas, usually used in a humorous or affectionate manner.

Derived terms

• twitling

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:fool

Translations

a reproach, gibe or taunt

• Russian: упрёк (ru) (uprjók) m

a foolish or annoying person

• Finnish: ääliö (fi), typerys (fi)
• French: (France, colloquial) gugusse (fr) m, (Quebec, colloquial) twit (fr) m, herro dare (fr)

• Russian: тупица (ru) (tupica) m
• Spanish: gilí (es) m and f, hello (es)

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French

Noun

twit m (plural twits)

1. (Quebec, colloquial) twit (foolish person)