Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
TWITTER, v.2, n.2
I. v. To spin yarn too thinly and unevenly (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.). Also in n.Eng. dial. Hence twittered, uneven, irregular.m.Sc. 1843 Whistle-Binkie (1890) II. 165:
Baith twitter'd and knotty's the thread o' our life.
II. n. 1. A thin part of unevenly spun yarn (Rnf. 1837 Crawfurd MSS. XI. 333; Cai. 1905 E.D.D.); poor quality yarn (Sh. 1962). Also in Yks. dial. Adj. twittery, spun too thin, of no strength or substance (Sc. 1825 Jam.).Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 395:
You are as small as the twitter of a twin'd rusky.Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 221:
Her waist was like a twitter, had nae curpen for a creel.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
Yarn is said to be twined to twitters, when twined too small.Gall. 1819 Edb. Ev. Courant (1 July) 4:
Far afore the twittery worm-wabs made now a days.Per. 1898 C. Spence Poems 181:
The good wife's yarn broke at the twitter.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables 33:
Gin ye wad tell me what ye're makin, there — Gey twittery it seems to me.
2. Fig. (1) of a furrow: a narrow cut, an unduly thin slice.Abd. 1952 Buchan Observer (15 Jan.):
There were no jinks and twitters in the furrow-[s]crats to catch the eye of the critic.
(2) any person or thing which is very slender small or feeble (Rnf. 1837 Crawford MSS. XI. 335; Cai. 1905 E.D.D.).Sc. 1808 Jam.:
Of a lank delicate girl “She's a mere twitter”.Uls. 1929 M. Mulcaghey Ballymulcaghey 25:
Tam thought that he was no twitter of a musician himself.
¶III. adj. Slender, thin.Abd. 1869 Banffshire Jnl. (21 Dec.):
The auld wheelvricht will teethe yer flichts An' twitter spindle spin.
