twit

English

Etymology

Originally twite, an aphetism of Middle English atwite.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /twɪt/, [tʰw̥ɪt]
• Rhymes: -ɪt

Verb

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, 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 […]

   • (Can we date this quote by Tillotson and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     This these scoffers twitted the Christian with.

   • (Can we date this quote by L'Estrange and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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.

   • 2002, "Chris Hoppman", FidoNet Feed Needed (on newsgroup alt.bbs)

     And no, there is no "thought purification program" that can filter out some folks^[sic] obscene ideas that can be expressed w/o written vulgarities. That has to be simply "dealt" with, either by ignoring or twitting the individual that offends habitually.

Translations

To reproach, blame; to ridicule or tease

• Finnish: kiusoitella (fi)
• Neapolitan: sfotte
• Romanian: mustra (ro)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: упрека́ть (ru) (uprekátʹ)
• Welsh: edliw (cy)

Noun

twit (plural twits)

1. A reproach, gibe or taunt.
2. A foolish or annoying person.
   • 1988, 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!

3. A person who twitters, i.e. chatters inanely (see usage notes).

Usage notes

In the UK, the word "twit" for a person is usually used in a humorous or affectionate manner.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:fool

Derived terms

• twitling

Translations

a reproach, gibe or taunt

• Russian: упрёк (ru) m (uprjók)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Welsh: edliw (cy) m

a foolish or annoying person

• Finnish: ääliö (fi), typerys (fi)
• French: (France, colloquial) andouille (fr) m or f, abruti (fr) m, couillon (fr) m, (Quebec, colloquial) twit (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: тупи́ца (ru) m (tupíca), дурачок (ru) m (duračok)
• Spanish: gilí m or f

Anagrams

• Witt

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /twit/

Noun

twit m (plural twits)

1. (Quebec, colloquial) twit (foolish person)
2. a tweet (a message on Twitter)

Synonyms

• (Twitter): tweet

Related terms

• (Twitter): twitter

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Spanish

Noun

twit m (plural twits)

1. tweet (message on Twitter)