twit
part of speech
noun (a twit, twits); verb (twit — old-fashioned, rare)
meaning for a pupil
1) (informal, UK, Ireland, Australia, mildly rude) A silly or foolish person. tree →
2) (old-fashioned, rare) verb: to tease someone. tree →
3) Twit can also be the chirping sound a swallow makes. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and everyday British talk, «you twit!» is a mild, often jokey insult — stronger than «silly», much milder than swear words. Roald Dahl's book «The Twits» is about Mr and Mrs Twit, a nasty, dirty couple who play tricks on each other. Phrases: «you silly twit», «what a twit», «The Twits».
examples
- «You twit, you've put your jumper on inside out!» laughed my sister. tree →
- Don't be a twit — wear your helmet. tree →
- Mr and Mrs Twit are horrible people in a Roald Dahl book. tree →
- I felt like a twit when I forgot my lines. tree →
- He's a bit of a twit, but he means well. tree →
- Calling someone a twit in class might still get you told off. tree →
- The linden-trees were in blossom; while the swallows flew here and there, crying, "Twit, twit, twit, my mate is coming,"--but it was not the fir-tree they meant. tree →
note
Countable: a twit, twits. Mild insult (rude, but not a swear word); between friends it can be friendly. Similar: idiot, nitwit, prat (UK), plonker (UK), drongo (Australia). Do not confuse with «tweet» or «twitch».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «twit» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.