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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TITTY WREN, n.comb. The willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus (Ayr. 1972).Lnk. 1950 Scottish Field (Oct.) 17:
The bird was called, in the colloquialism of my district, the titty-wren, which was almost always slurred into something like tittery-anne.

[The first element is appar. a dim. form of Eng. tit, a small bird, esp. one of the Paridae. See note to Titlin, and cf. Eng. dial. titty, titter-wren, the common wren. The pronunciation indicates the vocalisation of w- in wren, Wran.]

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