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.
Quotation dates: 1721, 1778-1952
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TWITTER, v.2, n.2, adj.
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.
