twign.¹

Brit.

/twɪɡ/, U.S.

/twɪɡ/

Forms: Old English–1600s twigge (Old English tuigge, tuicg-), Middle English–1500s twygge (Middle English plural tuygges, tuyegges); Middle English, twige, Middle English tvige, 1500s twike; Middle English tuyg, Middle English–1500s twyg, 1500s–1600s twygg, Middle English– twig (1500s Scottish tuig, 1600s twigg).

Etymology: Northern Old English twigge (feminine) (plural twiggo ), obscurely related to Old English twig neuter (plural twigu ), later also twí . Neither twigge nor twig correspond exactly to the usual Continental forms having the same sense, viz. West Frisian twiich , twige (North Frisian twich ), Dutch twijg (Kilian twijgh ), Middle Low German twîch (Low German twîg ), Old High German zwîg (Middle High German zwîg- , zwîc , German zweig ), but the Danish dialect forms tveg , tvege , may be more closely akin to twigge or to the Middle English variant twige . All the types appear to be variant formations from the stem twi- comb. form.

a. A slender shoot issuing from a branch or stem.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig

stickeOE

twigc950

yardc950

sprintlea1250

ricec1275

twistc1374

sarmenta1398

tinea1400

lancec1400

pirnc1450

shred15..

shrubc1530

shrag1552

taunt1567

ramelet1652

hag wood1804

hag1808

fibre1810

twiglet1849

virgultum1866

thorn-twig1895

twigling1907

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mk. xi. 8 Oðero..ða twiggo vel ða telgo..rendon of ðæm trewum.

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mk. xiii. 28 Mið-ðy..telge vel twigge his..nesc bið.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Heo stiȝen uppe on þe godes cunnes treowe & nomen þa twigga & þa blostme.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 149 Hwenne he..for his sunne swingeð him mið smele twige.

c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 2542 Wiþ þat come Gij..a smal tvige in his hond bereinde Of oliue.

1340¹ [see sense 1b].

c1384 G. Chaucer Hous of Fame iii. 846 Al thys hous..Was made of twigges [v.rr. twygges, twigys] falwe, rede, And grene eke.

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) xvii. i A tre haþ..outeward..þerinde twigges leues blossomes and fruyte.

1415 T. Hoccleve To Sir J. Oldcastle 471 A smal twig or rod.

1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xxiii^v A lytell twygge plyant is by kynde A bygger braunche is harde to bowe or wynde.

a1552 J. Leland Itinerary (1711) V. 75 Hole Trees..without Twike or Bow.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 39 Capercalȝe..lyues of only the tuigs or tendir branches of this [fir] trie.

1637 J. Taylor Drinke & Welcome sig. D^v My Muse doth..like a Squirrell skip, from twigge to twigge.

1734 A. Pope Epist. to Visct. Cobham 6 Just as the Twig is bent, the Tree's inclin'd.

1785 W. Cowper Task i. 484 These..love life, and cling to it, as he That overhangs a torrent, to a twig.

1851 W. B. Carpenter Man. Physiol. (ed. 2) 107 Fibrine..may be obtained..by whipping fresh blood with a bundle of twigs.

1906 Times, Lit. Supp. 23 Mar. 99/2 The snap of a twig..gave the alarm.

b. transferred and figurative, and in figurative context. to hop the twig (slang): see hop v.¹ Phrases 2.

ΚΠ

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. John xv. 5 Ic am þe wintreo, gie ða tuiggo [L. palmites] sint.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 22 Þe uerþe tuyg of þe ilke boȝe [of pride]..is yelpingge.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 41 Þe zixte boȝ of auarice is symonye..And þes boȝ heþ manie tuygges.

c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋315 Euerich of thise chief synnes hath hise braunches and hise twigges.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Isa. ix. C The Lorde shal rote out of Israel both heade and tale, braunch and twygge in one daye.

?1553 Respublica (1952) i. iii. 12 Adul. Doe but whistle for me, and I comme foorth with all. Avar... I love suche atowarde twygg.

a1640 F. Beaumont et al. Loves Cure ii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Rrrrr2/1 Traiterous brat,..impious twig Of that old stock, dew'd with my kinsmans gore.

1678 in Trial E. Coleman 100 They would not you should have any Twigg to hold by to deceive you.

1764 Ld. Halifax Let. 11 Mar. in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. i. 363 I was willing to keep Hold of any Twig of Hope that was left me.

1827 G. Higgins Celtic Druids 24 [The Irish] characters were called twigs and branch-letters.. from their shape.

†c. collective as the material for basket-making. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > other textiles obtained from plants > [noun] > for basket making

twigc1440

rotan1662

sweet-grass1926

c1440 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 209 Let make a skeppe of twygge.

1661 Rec. Basketmakers Co. (1911) 114 Paid an officer for seizing 10,000 of twigg at Bull Wharfe. 00. 05. 00.

2. spec.

a. Short for lime-twig n. (obsolete); also, in plural, the twigs forming a birch-rod.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowling equipment > [noun] > bird-lime > twig or bush smeared with

lime-yard1377

lime-rodc1386

lime-twig?a1400

lime-bush1575

twiga1616

society > authority > punishment > corporal punishment > instrument or place of corporal punishment > [noun] > rod or birch

besomc893

yardc1000

rodlOE

baleysa1259

ferule1559

scutcher1611

birch1648

whisk rod1688

twig1736

fasces1762

tickler1765

tickle-tail1785

wand1828

tickle-toby1830

birch-rod1834

birch-wand1876

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) i. iii. 24 Fond Fathers, Hauing bound vp the threatning twigs of birch, Onely to sticke it in their childrens sight, For terror, not to vse. ]

a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iii. vi. 107 I must go looke my twigges, He shall be caught.

1622 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. VI. O.T. xvii. 192 Wise Salomon..laies insensible twigs for so foule an offender.

1736 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 679/2 Ye awful twigs!.. Long may ye..far from my posteriors keep your sway!

1896 M. Pemberton Puritan's Wife iii I had smarted often at the switch of his twigs.

b. dialect (a) A stout stick. (b) A divining-rod (cf. rod n.¹ 3c). to work the twig, to use the divining-rod.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > club or stick > [noun]

sowelc893

treec893

cudgelc897

stinga900

bat?c1225

sticka1275

clubc1275

truncheon14..

bourdonc1325

bastona1400

warderera1400

plantc1400

kibble1411

playloomc1440

hurlbatc1450

ploykc1450

rung1491

libberlac1500

waster1533

batonc1550

macana1555

libbet1562

bastinado1574

crab-tree comb1593

tomahawkc1612

billeta1616

wiper1622

batoon1637

gibbeta1640

crab-bat1647

kibbo1688

Indian club1694

batterdasher1696

crab-stick1703

bloodwipea1705

bludgeon1730

kierie1731

oaken towel1739

crab1740

shillelagh1772

knobstick1783

pogamogganc1788

whirlbat1791

nulla-nulla1798

waddy1800

kevel1807

supple1815

mere1820

hurlet1825

knobkerrie1826

blackthorn1829

bastera1833

twig1842

leangle1845

alpeen1847

banger1849

billy1856

thwack-stave1857

clump1868

cosh1869

nulla1878

sap1899

waddy1899

blunt instrument1923

the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > make a search [verb (intransitive)] > search for subterraneous water

witch1848

to work the twig1883

dowse1894

the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > [noun] > types of search or searching > searching for subterraneous water or minerals > instrument used in

divining-wand1656

dowsing-rod1692

divining-stick1712

divining-rod1751

witching stick1864

twig1883

witching rod1919

doodlebug1924

witching wand2011

1842 B. Brierley Lancs. Tales & Sketches 87 [He] could not see that his ‘twig’ would stand any chance against a bayonet.

18.. in T. Allan Tyneside Songs (1872) 201 Aw danced a jig an' swung my twig.

1883 Folk-Lore Jrnl. 1 28 At one spot the ‘twig’ was so violently affected that it flew out of his hands.

1884 A. Lang Custom & Myth 180 To ‘work the twig’ is rural English for the craft of Dousterswivel in the Antiquary.

1894 Daily News 28 Dec. 5/2 The dry summer of 1893 brought the Divining Rod forward..‘dowsers’ sought for water with the mystic ‘twig’, and, very often, found it.

3. transferred. Anatomy. A small ramification of a blood vessel or nerve.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood vessel > [noun] > branch

branch-veinc1400

eye vein1545

surcle1578

tendron1578

propagation1615

twig1683

radicle1829

rootlet1875

radical1880

the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > branch

rame1578

surcle1578

ramus1615

sprig1634

twig1683

ramus communicans1798

rootlet1815

radicle1829

nerve twig1865

arm1870

radical1880

neuropilema1891

neuropil1894

1683 A. Snape Anat. Horse i. ix. 18 The Stomachal Arteries are twigs from the Cœliacal branch of the Arteria magna.

1683 A. Snape Anat. Horse i. xvi. 33 A Twig of the splenick Artery opens into this Vein.

1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 163 Particular Branches..send forth some twigs to the neighbouring Muscles.

1741 A. Monro Anat. Nerves 80 in Anat. Human Bones (ed. 3) A Twig of the Ophthalmick Branch of the fifth Pair of Nerves.

1831 R. Knox tr. H. Cloquet Syst. Human Anat. (ed. 2) 684 This artery gives numerous twigs to the pectoralis major.

1875 T. H. Huxley in Encycl. Brit. I. 766/1 The pulmonary artery gives twigs to the stomach.

Thesaurus »

Categories »

4. Pottery. ‘A thin strip of plastic clay used in modelling a pottery vessel, especially in the imitation basketwork common in Leeds pottery’ ( Cent. Dict. 1891).

Compounds

General attributive.

C1. (Usually = ‘made of twigs’).

twig-basket n.

ΚΠ

1748 tr. Vegetius Of Distempers Horses 173 A close-wrought Twig-basket must be put upon him.

twig-broom n.

ΚΠ

1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home I. 271 Twig brooms, beehives,..things, in short, that are commonly sold at a rural fair.

twig charcoal n.

ΚΠ

1895 Westm. Gaz. 31 Aug. 3/2 These latter doors are over a foot in thickness, each bearing a lining of twelve inches of ‘twig charcoal’.

twig corf n.

ΚΠ

1797 J. Curr Coal Viewer 8 The basket or twig corf..cannot..be introduced in the southern parts.

twig-cutter n.

ΚΠ

1911 Contemp. Rev., Lit. Suppl. June 9 The chisel, the gouge..the sickle, the twig-cutter, the scythe.

† twig head n. Obsolete (? head n.¹ 5).

ΚΠ

1572 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Queen Elizabeth (1908) 156 Strigges of bay Leaves for twigg heades.

twig-hurdle n.

ΚΠ

1726 S. Lowe Gram. Lat. Tongue (new ed.) Suppl. 15 Gerrae, twig-hurdles, gabions.

twig ware n.

ΚΠ

1829 S. Shaw Hist. Staffs. Potteries vii. 173 A Lady's work-basket, which he was led to consider..as twig or willow ware, and was..surprised, to find it of cane coloured pottery.

C2. Instrumental, similative.

twig-formed adj.

ΚΠ

1806 J. Grahame Birds Scotl. 75 The Raven's twig-formed house.

twig-green adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > colour > named colours > green or greenness > [adjective] > bright green

smaragdine1591

emerald-green1637

poison green1749

emeraldine1855

lime-green1890

twig-green1892

1892 Daily News 17 Dec. 5/7 The material is twig-green velvet shot with gold.

twig-like adj.

ΚΠ

1898 Pop. Sc. Monthly LIII. 762 Curious plants with twiglike leaves seem..provided against too great loss by transpiration.

1905 Westm. Gaz. 23 June 4/1 The twig-like attitudes assumed by some caterpillars and other insects.

twig-limed adj.

ΚΠ

1657 N. Billingsley Brachy-martyrologia xvi. 55 A third Is taken captive like a twiglim'd bird.

twig-strewn adj.

ΚΠ

1900 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 392/1 Bare and twig-strewn circles in which the argus-pheasants strut.

twig-suspended adj.

ΚΠ

1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxix. 96 The eggs of the tailor bird in its twig-suspended nest.

twig-wrought adj.

ΚΠ

1855 R. C. Singleton tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. I. 80 Celeus' furniture, twig-wrought And mean.

C3. Special combinations:

twig-ait n. see quot.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > land mass > island > [noun] > small > in river or lake

aiteOE

holm?c1050

mediamnesa1552

eyot1670

haft1686

osier isle1744

osier ait1766

knoll1772

twig-ait1867

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Twig-ait, a river island where osiers grow.

twig-beetle n. = twig-borer n.

Categories »

twig-blight n. U.S. a disease of the apple and quince, caused by Micrococcus amylovorus: see pear blight n. (a) at pear n. Compounds 2 ( Cent. Dict. 1889).

Categories »

twig-borer n. U.S. names for various small beetles which bore into the twigs of trees ( Cent. Dict. & Suppl. 1891–1909).

† twig-bottle n. Obsolete a bottle with a wicker envelope.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > flask, flagon, or bottle > [noun] > bottle > wicker-covered

twig-bottle1695

1695 London Gaz. No. 3085/3 Captain Bonnamy..took a French Ship of 40 Tuns, laden with Burstones and Twig Bottles.

Categories »

twig-bug n. U.S. = twig insect n.

twig-climber n. see quot.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > climbing or creeping plants > non-British climbing or creeping plants > [noun] > American or West Indian

water withy1559

West Indian China-root1577

savannah flower1696

water withe1696

Spanish woodbine1731

potato vine1750

Indian grass1753

seven-year vine1756

tropaeolum1759

woodbine1760

water vine1774

canariensis1835

Philodendron1840

Monstera1858

twig-climber1900

money bush1924

potato creeper1925

sweetheart plant1963

1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms Twig Climbers, Schenck's term for certain Brazilian lianes, the young leafy lateral branches being sensitive..in contact with their supports.

twig-gall n. an abnormal enlargement of a twig, due to the action of insects, fungi, or bacteria.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > gall or abnormal growth

gall1398

elationc1420

dog rose1526

tumour?1541

to-growing1562

gall-nut1572

gall-apple1617

apple1668

by-fruit1682

witches' besom1849

witches' broom1856

mad-apple1868

nail gall1879

marble gall1882

gall-knob1892

scroll-gall1895

twig-gall1900

cecidium1902

1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms Twig-Gall, a morbid growth ascribed to the action of bacteria.

twig girdler n. U.S. an American beetle, Oncideres cingulatus, which deposits its eggs in the tips of twigs, which it then girdles below the eggs ( Cent. Dict. 1891).

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > miscellaneous types > oncideres cingulatus (twig-girdler)

twig girdler1874

1874 Rep. U.S. Dept. Agric. 1873 153 The twig girdler, Oncideres cingulatus... The insects girdle the twig before depositing their eggs.

1972 L. A. Swan & C. S. Papp Common Insects N. Amer. xx. 452 The Twig Girdler..is rough-surfaced, grayish brown or yellowish brown.

1974 Ridge Citizen (Johnston, S. Carolina) 18 Apr. 6/3 The twig girdlers deposit their eggs in the portions of the branches that fall to the ground.

twig insect n. the stick-insect or ‘walking-stick’.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > order Phasmida > family Phasmidae

walking stick1760

leaf insect1795

spectre1798

stick insect1826

spectrum1838

phasmid1864

stick bug1868

twig insect1882

witch's horse1894

1882 A. Wilson in Nature Stud. 37 The so-called ‘stick insects’, or ‘walking twigs’,..the Phasmidæ of the naturalist... The bodies of these ‘twig insects’..are represented by mere lines.

twig-pruner n. U.S. = oak pruner n. at oak n. Compounds 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > Polyphaga (omnivorous) > superfamily Phytophaga or Chrysomeloidea > family Cerambycidae > elaphidion villosum (twig-pruner)

oak pruner1819

twig-pruner1928

1928 C. L. Metcalf & W. P. Flint Destructive & Useful Insects xix. 664 Maple and oak twig pruner.

1972 L. A. Swan & C. S. Papp Common Insects N. Amer. xx. 446 Twig Pruner..Brown, clothed with irregular patches of grayish yellow pubescence.

twig-rune n. a runic inscription with characters of twig-like form.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > rune > type of

rune tree1863

tree-rune1863

bough-runes1866

twig-rune1866

1866 G. Stephens Old-Northern Runic Monuments I. i. 84 Twig-runes occur on both Old-Northern and Scandinavian..runic monuments.

twig-rush n. a tall marsh-plant, Cladium Mariscus, N.O. Cyperaceæ, having very long narrow rigid leaves.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > reedy or aquatic grasses > [noun] > sedges

starc1300

carexa1398

float-grassc1440

red sedge1480

sag1531

pry grassa1600

flea-grass1670

star-grass1782

sedge1785

sea sedge1796

sharp-pry-grass1803

blue star grass1807

whip-grass1814

flea-sedge1816

saw-grass1822

mud rush1824

tight-locka1825

nut grass1830

razor grass1834

twig-rush1836

nut rush1843

sand grass1856

mud sedge1859

niggerhead1859

nutsedge1861

pingao1867

sword-rush1875

tupak-grass1884

tussock-sedge1884

sennegrass1897

nigger's-head1921

1836 J. T. Mackay Flora Hibern. i. 324 Cladium Mariscus, Br. Prickly Twig-rush.

1848 C. A. Johns Week at Lizard 311 Cladium Mariscus, Twig-rush, abounds in the higher parts of the stream.

Derivatives

ˈtwigless adj. destitute of twigs.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [adjective] > of or having twig(s) > not having twigs

unsprayed1486

twigless1839

1839 Fraser's Mag. 20 345 A birch-tree, entirely boughless, branchless, and twigless.

ˈtwiglet n. (a) a little twig; (b) (with capital initial) the proprietary name of a crisp, savoury snack in the shape of a twig.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig

stickeOE

twigc950

yardc950

sprintlea1250

ricec1275

twistc1374

sarmenta1398

tinea1400

lancec1400

pirnc1450

shred15..

shrubc1530

shrag1552

taunt1567

ramelet1652

hag wood1804

hag1808

fibre1810

twiglet1849

virgultum1866

thorn-twig1895

twigling1907

the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > prepared vegetables and dishes > [noun] > prepared potatoes > fried potatoes > crisps

Saratoga chips1869

chip1871

potato chip1893

potato straw1895

potato crisp1921

crisp1929

twiglet1932

potato stick1937

nacho1948

potato puff1972

kettle chips1980

1849 J. A. Carlyle tr. Dante Inferno 146 If thou breakest off any twiglet from one of these plants.

1882 Garden 18 Mar. 181/2 Slender twiglets of this semi-weeping Spruce.

1932 Trade Marks Jrnl. 15 June 766 Twiglets... Biscuits. Peek, Frean & Company, Limited,..London, S.E. 16; manufacturers.

1962 M. Frayn Day of Dog 57 A cheese twiglet slips from my fingers.

1980 ‘J. Melville’ Chrysanthemum Chain 103 Walker set out a..drinks tray..and opened a tin of imported Twiglets.

twigling n. = twiglet n. (a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig

stickeOE

twigc950

yardc950

sprintlea1250

ricec1275

twistc1374

sarmenta1398

tinea1400

lancec1400

pirnc1450

shred15..

shrubc1530

shrag1552

taunt1567

ramelet1652

hag wood1804

hag1808

fibre1810

twiglet1849

virgultum1866

thorn-twig1895

twigling1907

1907 Westm. Gaz 19 Oct. 6/1 As pliant twigling to the rigid oak.

ˈtwigsome adj. twiggy.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [adjective] > of or having twig(s)

twiggy1600

twigged1640

browsy1709

virgated1776

sprayey1849

twigsome1860

plical1890

1860 C. Dickens Uncommerc. Traveller in All Year Round 7 Apr. 558/1 The twigsome trees by the wayside (which, I suppose, never will grow leafy, for they never did).

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

twign.²

Etymology: < twig v.³ 2.

Now dialect.

A pull; a twitch; a tug; a draught.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > [noun] > pulling > a sudden or sharp pull

tita1425

pluck1440

twitching1478

twitch?1523

tuck1648

twang1721

twiga1800

twerk1820

yank1888

a1800 Laird of Wariston vi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1890) IV. vii. 31/2 The nurice she knet the knot,..The lady did gie it a twig, Till it began to wicker.

1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Twig, a quick pull, a twitch.

1818 Naval Chron. 39 65 He was taken in tow by A Friend,..which twig to windward..will..enable him to round the Cape.

1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan I. 54 A ‘twig o' cider’ a piece.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2019).

twign.³

Etymology: Origin unascertained.

slang. ? Obsolete.

1. Style, fashion; also condition, state, fettle; esp. in the phrases in (prime, good) twig.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [noun] > the or a prevailing fashion

gentryc1400

the fashion1569

mainstream1599

the trim1603

mood1646

mode1649

vogue1649

beauty1653

à la mode1654

turn1695

the kick1699

goût1717

thing1734

taste1739

ton1769

nick1788

the tippy1790

twig1811

latest1814

dernier mot1834

ticket1838

kibosh1880

last cry1887

le (or the) dernier cri1896

flavour of the month (or week)1946

vague1962

1811 Lexicon Balatronicum (at cited word) In twig, handsome; stilish. The cove is togged in twig; the fellow is dressed in the fashion.

1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. (at cited word) Any thing accomplished cleverly, or as it should be, is said to be done in twig, in good twig, or in prime twig.

1828 Sporting Mag. 22 77 Palemon was not in the twig I should like to see a horse of mine if about to start for such a stake.

1834 W. H. Ainsworth Rookwood II. iii. v. 345 With my strummel faked in the newest twig.

1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xi. 298 You're in twig to-night, I see.

1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xvii Going to the ball in proper twig.

2. out of twig [compare twig v.⁴] , out of knowledge or recognition: see quot. 1819.

ΚΠ

1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. (at cited word) Out of twig, to put yourself out of twig is to disguise your dress and appearance, to avoid being recognised..; a man reduced by poverty to wear a shabby dress is said by his acquaintance to be out of twig; to put any article out of twig, as a stolen coat, cloak, &c. is to alter it in such a way that it cannot be identified.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online December 2018).

twigv.¹

Etymology: < twig n.¹

Obsolete or dialect.

1. transitive. To beat with or as with a twig; figurative to reprove. ? Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)]

threac897

threapc897

begripea1000

threata1000

castea1200

chaste?c1225

takec1275

blame1297

chastya1300

sniba1300

withnima1315

undernima1325

rebukec1330

snuba1340

withtakea1340

reprovec1350

chastisea1375

arate1377

challenge1377

undertake1377

reprehenda1382

repreync1390

runta1398

snapea1400

underfoc1400

to call to account1434

to put downc1440

snebc1440

uptakec1440

correptc1449

reformc1450

reprise?c1450

to tell (a person) his (also her, etc.) own1450

control1451

redarguec1475

berisp1481

to hit (cross) one over (of, on) the thumbs1522

checkc1530

admonish1541

nip1548

twig?1550

impreve1552

lesson1555

to take down1562

to haul (a person) over the coals1565

increpate1570

touch1570

school1573

to gather up1577

task1580

redarguate?1590

expostulate1592

tutor1599

sauce1601

snip1601

sneap1611

to take in tax1635

to sharp up1647

round1653

threapen1671

reprimand1681

to take to task1682

document1690

chapter1693

repulse1746

twink1747

to speak to ——1753

haul1795

to pull up1799

carpet1840

rig1841

to talk to1860

to take (a person) to the woodshed1882

rawhide1895

to tell off1897

to tell (someone) where he or she gets off1900

to get on ——1904

to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908

strafe1915

tick1915

woodshed1935

to slap (a person) down1938

sort1941

bind1942

bottle1946

mat1948

ream1950

zap1961

elder1967

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > with something pliant > lightly > make light stroke with (something pliant)

twig?1550

flick1844

?1550 J. Bale Apol. agaynste Papyst 142 Not one kynge hath bene in Englande sens the conquest, but they haue twygged hym one way or other, and had theyr false flynges at him.

?1553 Respublica (1952) v. viii. 56 Insolence... I will whippe youe for this ye peasaunte lowte. Adul. And twygge youe.

1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Kii/2 To Twig, verberare.

a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Twig, to give such..correction as may be inflicted with a twig... To give somewhat sharp, but not angry and severe reproof.

1826 T. Moore Mem. (1854) V. 118 Only for my knowing Lord Holland (said Southey) I would have twigged him for that.

†2. To trim, prune (a tree). Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop

sneda800

shredc1000

crop?c1225

purgec1384

parea1398

shear1398

shridea1425

dodc1440

polla1449

twist1483

top1509

stow1513

lop1519

bough?1523

head?1523

poll-shred1530

prune1547

prime1565

twig1570

reform1574

disbranch1575

shroud1577

snathe1609

detruncate1623

amputate1638

abnodate1656

duba1661

to strip up1664

reprune1666

pollard1670

shrub1682

log1699

switch1811

limb1835

preen1847

to cut back1871

shrig1873

brash1950

summer prune1980

1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Kii/2 To Twygge, putare viburna.

†3. To bind with twigs or withes. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (transitive)] > bind > bind up or together > with flexible branches

wattle1602

twig1688

yedder1818

withe1836

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 108/1 Twigging a Hoop [of a barrel], is binding the two ends together with cloven Twiggs of Withy, or Osier Twiggs.

Derivatives

ˈtwigging n.¹

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with a twig

twigging1916

1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist iv. 174 To flee from noise which caused him painful nervous irritation such as the sharpening of knives..and the twigging of the carpet.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2019).

twigv.²

Etymology: Of obscure origin: compare twig v.³

Obsolete or dialect.

intransitive. To do anything vigorously or strenuously.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)]

twig1573

to go at ——1675

to go it1794

to come it1796

to lay it on thick1806

to blaze away1826

bushwhack1837

steam1842

split1844

rustle1882

to work like a demon1884

yank1888

go-at-it1904

to go somea1911

to put a jerk in it1919

to go (also do) one's (also a) dinger1923

to work (etc.) one's ass off1924

to go to town1933

to gie (or give) it laldy1974

1573 T. Twyne tr. Virgil in T. Phaer & T. Twyne tr. Virgil Whole .xii. Bks. Æneidos xii. L l iij The bird of mightie Ioue..a shole of foules she did pursue And twigginge forth apace fast on her flight the Egle flue.

1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Twig,..to do any thing strenuously, to work with might and main.

Derivatives

ˈtwigging n.² and adj.¹

ΚΠ

1573 T. Twyne tr. Virgil in T. Phaer & T. Twyne tr. Virgil Whole .xii. Bks. Æneidos xi. I i iv b Lyke a fawcon that..at a twygginge doue vnto the cloudes swyft winge doth make.

1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 34^v The lamb of such twynners, for breeders go take. For twinlings be twiggers, encrease for to bring: though som for their twigging, peccantem may sing.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online September 2021).

twigv.³

Etymology: Of obscure origin; perhaps merely an imitative word of the same type as twick v., tweag tweak n.¹, and tug n.¹

Now dialect.

†1. transitive. See quot. 1725. Obsolete slang.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > break off

breaka1200

to break away1420

to break off1530

brit1578

twig1725

1725 New Canting Dict. To Twig, to disingage, to sunder, to snap, to break off. To twig the Darbies, to knock off the Irons.

2. To pull, pluck, twitch.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > push and pull [verb (transitive)] > pull > suddenly or sharply

twickeOE

plitchOE

to-twitchc1175

twitchc1330

tricec1386

tita1400

pluckc1400

ramp1567

snatch1590

pook1633

squitch1680

twig1755

shrug1807

yank1848

1755 J. Shebbeare Lydia (1769) II. 49 Write,..or Frank shall twig your nose from your face.

1790 D. Morison Poems 78 Let rantin billys twig the string, An' for the tither mutchkin ring.

1864 Reader 23 Jan. 105 To stretch strings on pegs and to twig them with thumb or with plectrum was one of the earliest of human amusements.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Twig, to, to pull upon a bowline.

Derivatives

ˈtwigging adj.²

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > [adjective] > relating to or used in pulling > pulling suddenly or sharply

yanking1823

twigging1864

1864 Reader 23 Jan. 105 The genus stringed-instrument consists of three species, which may be defined, to use the vernacular, as the twigging, the hammering, and the scraping.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online September 2018).

twigv.⁴

Etymology: Origin unascertained.

slang or colloquial.

1. transitive.

a. To watch; to look at; to inspect.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > watch or observe

keepc1000

overseeOE

waitc1300

advisec1325

awaita1375

to wait on ——c1384

markc1400

contemplec1429

to keep (also have) an (or one's) eye on (also upon)a1450

to look straitly to?c1450

to wait after ——c1460

vizy1488

contemplatea1533

vise1551

pry?1553

observe1567

eye1592

over-eye?1592

watch1600

outwatch1607

spell1633

superintend1654

under-watch1654

tent1721

evigilate1727

twig1764

stag1796

eye-serve1800

spy1806

deek1825

screw1905

clock1911

1764 S. Foote Mayor of Garret ii. 36 Now, twig him; now, mind him: mark how he hawls his muscles about.

1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well I. iv. 92 ‘Twig the old connoisseur,’ said the Squire to the Knight.

1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xx. 200 ‘They're a twiggin' you, Sir,’ whispered Mr. Weller.

1841 J. T. J. Hewlett Parish Clerk I. 173 Oblige me by twigging that trio.

1876 A. J. Evans Through Bosnia iii. 89 A motley assemblage..‘twigged us’ at their leisure.

b. To become aware of by seeing; to perceive, discern, catch sight of; to recognize.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > succeed in seeing or catch sight of

underyetec1000

aspya1250

kenc1275

ofyetec1275

choosea1300

akenc1300

descrivec1300

ofkenc1300

readc1300

espyc1320

descryc1330

spyc1380

discernc1405

discover1553

scan1558

scry1558

decern1559

describe1574

to make out1575

escry1581

interview1587

display1590

to set sight of (in)c1595

sight1602

discreevec1650

glance1656

to catch a glimpse of1679

steal1731

oversee1735

glimpse1779

twig1796

to clap eyes on1838

spot1848

sky1900

1796 J. G. Holman Abroad & at Home iii. ii. 73 He twigs me. He knows Dicky here in his real and masquerade character both.

1801 M. G. Lewis Sailor's Tale in Tales of Wonder ii With strange surprise and fear, Jack Tackle's ghost I twigg'd.

1825 Countess Granville Let. 30 Jan. (1894) I. 339 They have twigged me.

1860 Hunting Grounds Old World (ed. 2) 1st Ser. xii. 189 The leader, whom at last I twigged lying down and chewing the cud.

1879 F. T. Pollok Sport Brit. Burmah I. 191 I twigged the tigress creeping away in front of us.

a. figurative. To understand, comprehend.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (transitive)]

yknoweOE

acknowOE

anyeteOE

latchc1000

undernimc1000

understandc1000

underyetec1000

afindOE

knowOE

seeOE

onfangc1175

takec1175

underfindc1200

underfonga1300

undertakea1300

kenc1330

gripea1340

comprehend1340

comprendc1374

espyc1374

perceivea1387

to take for ——?1387

catcha1398

conceivea1398

intenda1400

overtakea1400

tenda1400

havec1405

henta1450

comprise1477

skilla1500

brook1548

apprend1567

compass1576

perstanda1577

endue1590

sound1592

engrasp1593

in1603

fathom1611

resent1614

receivea1616

to take up1617

apprehend1631

to take in1646

grasp1680

understumblec1681

forstand1682

savvy1686

overstand1699

uptake1726

nouse1779

twig1815

undercumstand1824

absorb1840

sense1844

undercumstumble1854

seize1855

intelligize1865

dig1935

1815 Zeluca III. 144 You twig me—eh?

1821 Countess Granville Lett. (1894) I. 208 York roared again [at the jokes], Clarence was dull and did not twig them.

1852 R. S. Surtees Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour vi. xxvii. 166 I twigged what you were after, and kept him up in talk.

1897 ‘Tivoli’ Short Innings ix Make a howler or two, or else he'll twig you've cribbed.

b. intransitive.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)]

seeOE

understandc1000

knowlOE

tellc1390

conceive1563

smoke1676

overstand1699

savvy1785

dig1789

twig1832

capisce1904

1832 M. Scott Tom Cringle's Log xvi, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 923/1 The captain twigged, and smiled.

1845 B. Disraeli Sybil III. v. x. 130 ‘I twig’, said Mick.

1893 C. G. Leland Memoirs I. 197 I twig; it's all right; I'll keep your secret.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

n.¹c950

n.²a1800

n.³1811

v.¹?1550

v.²1573

v.³1725

v.⁴1764

单词	twig
释义	twign.¹ Brit. /twɪɡ/, U.S. /twɪɡ/ Forms: Old English–1600s twigge (Old English tuigge, tuicg-), Middle English–1500s twygge (Middle English plural tuygges, tuyegges); Middle English, twige, Middle English tvige, 1500s twike; Middle English tuyg, Middle English–1500s twyg, 1500s–1600s twygg, Middle English– twig (1500s Scottish tuig, 1600s twigg). Etymology: Northern Old English twigge (feminine) (plural twiggo ), obscurely related to Old English twig neuter (plural twigu ), later also twí . Neither twigge nor twig correspond exactly to the usual Continental forms having the same sense, viz. West Frisian twiich , twige (North Frisian twich ), Dutch twijg (Kilian twijgh ), Middle Low German twîch (Low German twîg ), Old High German zwîg (Middle High German zwîg- , zwîc , German zweig ), but the Danish dialect forms tveg , tvege , may be more closely akin to twigge or to the Middle English variant twige . All the types appear to be variant formations from the stem twi- comb. form. 1. a. A slender shoot issuing from a branch or stem. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig stickeOE twigc950 yardc950 sprintlea1250 ricec1275 twistc1374 sarmenta1398 tinea1400 lancec1400 pirnc1450 shred15.. shrubc1530 shrag1552 taunt1567 ramelet1652 hag wood1804 hag1808 fibre1810 twiglet1849 virgultum1866 thorn-twig1895 twigling1907 c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mk. xi. 8 Oðero..ða twiggo vel ða telgo..rendon of ðæm trewum. c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mk. xiii. 28 Mið-ðy..telge vel twigge his..nesc bið. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Heo stiȝen uppe on þe godes cunnes treowe & nomen þa twigga & þa blostme. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 149 Hwenne he..for his sunne swingeð him mið smele twige. c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 2542 Wiþ þat come Gij..a smal tvige in his hond bereinde Of oliue. 1340¹ [see sense 1b]. c1384 G. Chaucer Hous of Fame iii. 846 Al thys hous..Was made of twigges [v.rr. twygges, twigys] falwe, rede, And grene eke. 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) xvii. i A tre haþ..outeward..þerinde twigges leues blossomes and fruyte. 1415 T. Hoccleve To Sir J. Oldcastle 471 A smal twig or rod. 1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xxiii^v A lytell twygge plyant is by kynde A bygger braunche is harde to bowe or wynde. a1552 J. Leland Itinerary (1711) V. 75 Hole Trees..without Twike or Bow. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 39 Capercalȝe..lyues of only the tuigs or tendir branches of this [fir] trie. 1637 J. Taylor Drinke & Welcome sig. D^v My Muse doth..like a Squirrell skip, from twigge to twigge. 1734 A. Pope Epist. to Visct. Cobham 6 Just as the Twig is bent, the Tree's inclin'd. 1785 W. Cowper Task i. 484 These..love life, and cling to it, as he That overhangs a torrent, to a twig. 1851 W. B. Carpenter Man. Physiol. (ed. 2) 107 Fibrine..may be obtained..by whipping fresh blood with a bundle of twigs. 1906 Times, Lit. Supp. 23 Mar. 99/2 The snap of a twig..gave the alarm. b. transferred and figurative, and in figurative context. to hop the twig (slang): see hop v.¹ Phrases 2. ΚΠ c950 Lindisf. Gosp. John xv. 5 Ic am þe wintreo, gie ða tuiggo [L. palmites] sint. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 22 Þe uerþe tuyg of þe ilke boȝe [of pride]..is yelpingge. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 41 Þe zixte boȝ of auarice is symonye..And þes boȝ heþ manie tuygges. c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋315 Euerich of thise chief synnes hath hise braunches and hise twigges. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Isa. ix. C The Lorde shal rote out of Israel both heade and tale, braunch and twygge in one daye. ?1553 Respublica (1952) i. iii. 12 Adul. Doe but whistle for me, and I comme foorth with all. Avar... I love suche atowarde twygg. a1640 F. Beaumont et al. Loves Cure ii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Rrrrr2/1 Traiterous brat,..impious twig Of that old stock, dew'd with my kinsmans gore. 1678 in Trial E. Coleman 100 They would not you should have any Twigg to hold by to deceive you. 1764 Ld. Halifax Let. 11 Mar. in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. i. 363 I was willing to keep Hold of any Twig of Hope that was left me. 1827 G. Higgins Celtic Druids 24 [The Irish] characters were called twigs and branch-letters.. from their shape. †c. collective as the material for basket-making. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > other textiles obtained from plants > [noun] > for basket making twigc1440 rotan1662 sweet-grass1926 c1440 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 209 Let make a skeppe of twygge. 1661 Rec. Basketmakers Co. (1911) 114 Paid an officer for seizing 10,000 of twigg at Bull Wharfe. 00. 05. 00. 2. spec. a. Short for lime-twig n. (obsolete); also, in plural, the twigs forming a birch-rod. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > fowling equipment > [noun] > bird-lime > twig or bush smeared with lime-yard1377 lime-rodc1386 lime-twig?a1400 lime-bush1575 twiga1616 society > authority > punishment > corporal punishment > instrument or place of corporal punishment > [noun] > rod or birch besomc893 yardc1000 rodlOE baleysa1259 ferule1559 scutcher1611 birch1648 whisk rod1688 twig1736 fasces1762 tickler1765 tickle-tail1785 wand1828 tickle-toby1830 birch-rod1834 birch-wand1876 a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) i. iii. 24 Fond Fathers, Hauing bound vp the threatning twigs of birch, Onely to sticke it in their childrens sight, For terror, not to vse. View more context for this quotation] a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iii. vi. 107 I must go looke my twigges, He shall be caught. View more context for this quotation 1622 Bp. J. Hall Contempl. VI. O.T. xvii. 192 Wise Salomon..laies insensible twigs for so foule an offender. 1736 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 679/2 Ye awful twigs!.. Long may ye..far from my posteriors keep your sway! 1896 M. Pemberton Puritan's Wife iii I had smarted often at the switch of his twigs. b. dialect (a) A stout stick. (b) A divining-rod (cf. rod n.¹ 3c). to work the twig, to use the divining-rod. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > club or stick > [noun] sowelc893 treec893 cudgelc897 stinga900 bat?c1225 sticka1275 clubc1275 truncheon14.. bourdonc1325 bastona1400 warderera1400 plantc1400 kibble1411 playloomc1440 hurlbatc1450 ploykc1450 rung1491 libberlac1500 waster1533 batonc1550 macana1555 libbet1562 bastinado1574 crab-tree comb1593 tomahawkc1612 billeta1616 wiper1622 batoon1637 gibbeta1640 crab-bat1647 kibbo1688 Indian club1694 batterdasher1696 crab-stick1703 bloodwipea1705 bludgeon1730 kierie1731 oaken towel1739 crab1740 shillelagh1772 knobstick1783 pogamogganc1788 whirlbat1791 nulla-nulla1798 waddy1800 kevel1807 supple1815 mere1820 hurlet1825 knobkerrie1826 blackthorn1829 bastera1833 twig1842 leangle1845 alpeen1847 banger1849 billy1856 thwack-stave1857 clump1868 cosh1869 nulla1878 sap1899 waddy1899 blunt instrument1923 the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > make a search [verb (intransitive)] > search for subterraneous water witch1848 to work the twig1883 dowse1894 the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > [noun] > types of search or searching > searching for subterraneous water or minerals > instrument used in divining-wand1656 dowsing-rod1692 divining-stick1712 divining-rod1751 witching stick1864 twig1883 witching rod1919 doodlebug1924 witching wand2011 1842 B. Brierley Lancs. Tales & Sketches 87 [He] could not see that his ‘twig’ would stand any chance against a bayonet. 18.. in T. Allan Tyneside Songs (1872) 201 Aw danced a jig an' swung my twig. 1883 Folk-Lore Jrnl. 1 28 At one spot the ‘twig’ was so violently affected that it flew out of his hands. 1884 A. Lang Custom & Myth 180 To ‘work the twig’ is rural English for the craft of Dousterswivel in the Antiquary. 1894 Daily News 28 Dec. 5/2 The dry summer of 1893 brought the Divining Rod forward..‘dowsers’ sought for water with the mystic ‘twig’, and, very often, found it. 3. transferred. Anatomy. A small ramification of a blood vessel or nerve. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > vascular system > blood vessel > [noun] > branch branch-veinc1400 eye vein1545 surcle1578 tendron1578 propagation1615 twig1683 radicle1829 rootlet1875 radical1880 the world > life > the body > nervous system > nerve > parts of nerves > [noun] > branch rame1578 surcle1578 ramus1615 sprig1634 twig1683 ramus communicans1798 rootlet1815 radicle1829 nerve twig1865 arm1870 radical1880 neuropilema1891 neuropil1894 1683 A. Snape Anat. Horse i. ix. 18 The Stomachal Arteries are twigs from the Cœliacal branch of the Arteria magna. 1683 A. Snape Anat. Horse i. xvi. 33 A Twig of the splenick Artery opens into this Vein. 1691 J. Ray Wisdom of God 163 Particular Branches..send forth some twigs to the neighbouring Muscles. 1741 A. Monro Anat. Nerves 80 in Anat. Human Bones (ed. 3) A Twig of the Ophthalmick Branch of the fifth Pair of Nerves. 1831 R. Knox tr. H. Cloquet Syst. Human Anat. (ed. 2) 684 This artery gives numerous twigs to the pectoralis major. 1875 T. H. Huxley in Encycl. Brit. I. 766/1 The pulmonary artery gives twigs to the stomach. Thesaurus » Categories » 4. Pottery. ‘A thin strip of plastic clay used in modelling a pottery vessel, especially in the imitation basketwork common in Leeds pottery’ ( Cent. Dict. 1891). Compounds General attributive. C1. (Usually = ‘made of twigs’). twig-basket n. ΚΠ 1748 tr. Vegetius Of Distempers Horses 173 A close-wrought Twig-basket must be put upon him. twig-broom n. ΚΠ 1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home I. 271 Twig brooms, beehives,..things, in short, that are commonly sold at a rural fair. twig charcoal n. ΚΠ 1895 Westm. Gaz. 31 Aug. 3/2 These latter doors are over a foot in thickness, each bearing a lining of twelve inches of ‘twig charcoal’. twig corf n. ΚΠ 1797 J. Curr Coal Viewer 8 The basket or twig corf..cannot..be introduced in the southern parts. twig-cutter n. ΚΠ 1911 Contemp. Rev., Lit. Suppl. June 9 The chisel, the gouge..the sickle, the twig-cutter, the scythe. † twig head n. Obsolete (? head n.¹ 5). ΚΠ 1572 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Queen Elizabeth (1908) 156 Strigges of bay Leaves for twigg heades. twig-hurdle n. ΚΠ 1726 S. Lowe Gram. Lat. Tongue (new ed.) Suppl. 15 Gerrae, twig-hurdles, gabions. twig ware n. ΚΠ 1829 S. Shaw Hist. Staffs. Potteries vii. 173 A Lady's work-basket, which he was led to consider..as twig or willow ware, and was..surprised, to find it of cane coloured pottery. C2. Instrumental, similative. twig-formed adj. ΚΠ 1806 J. Grahame Birds Scotl. 75 The Raven's twig-formed house. twig-green adj. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > named colours > green or greenness > [adjective] > bright green smaragdine1591 emerald-green1637 poison green1749 emeraldine1855 lime-green1890 twig-green1892 1892 Daily News 17 Dec. 5/7 The material is twig-green velvet shot with gold. twig-like adj. ΚΠ 1898 Pop. Sc. Monthly LIII. 762 Curious plants with twiglike leaves seem..provided against too great loss by transpiration. 1905 Westm. Gaz. 23 June 4/1 The twig-like attitudes assumed by some caterpillars and other insects. twig-limed adj. ΚΠ 1657 N. Billingsley Brachy-martyrologia xvi. 55 A third Is taken captive like a twiglim'd bird. twig-strewn adj. ΚΠ 1900 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 392/1 Bare and twig-strewn circles in which the argus-pheasants strut. twig-suspended adj. ΚΠ 1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxix. 96 The eggs of the tailor bird in its twig-suspended nest. twig-wrought adj. ΚΠ 1855 R. C. Singleton tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. I. 80 Celeus' furniture, twig-wrought And mean. C3. Special combinations: twig-ait n. see quot. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > land mass > island > [noun] > small > in river or lake aiteOE holm?c1050 mediamnesa1552 eyot1670 haft1686 osier isle1744 osier ait1766 knoll1772 twig-ait1867 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Twig-ait, a river island where osiers grow. twig-beetle n. = twig-borer n. Categories » twig-blight n. U.S. a disease of the apple and quince, caused by Micrococcus amylovorus: see pear blight n. (a) at pear n. Compounds 2 ( Cent. Dict. 1889). Categories » twig-borer n. U.S. names for various small beetles which bore into the twigs of trees ( Cent. Dict. & Suppl. 1891–1909). † twig-bottle n. Obsolete a bottle with a wicker envelope. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > flask, flagon, or bottle > [noun] > bottle > wicker-covered twig-bottle1695 1695 London Gaz. No. 3085/3 Captain Bonnamy..took a French Ship of 40 Tuns, laden with Burstones and Twig Bottles. Categories » twig-bug n. U.S. = twig insect n. twig-climber n. see quot. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > climbing or creeping plants > non-British climbing or creeping plants > [noun] > American or West Indian water withy1559 West Indian China-root1577 savannah flower1696 water withe1696 Spanish woodbine1731 potato vine1750 Indian grass1753 seven-year vine1756 tropaeolum1759 woodbine1760 water vine1774 canariensis1835 Philodendron1840 Monstera1858 twig-climber1900 money bush1924 potato creeper1925 sweetheart plant1963 1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms Twig Climbers, Schenck's term for certain Brazilian lianes, the young leafy lateral branches being sensitive..in contact with their supports. twig-gall n. an abnormal enlargement of a twig, due to the action of insects, fungi, or bacteria. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > gall or abnormal growth gall1398 elationc1420 dog rose1526 tumour?1541 to-growing1562 gall-nut1572 gall-apple1617 apple1668 by-fruit1682 witches' besom1849 witches' broom1856 mad-apple1868 nail gall1879 marble gall1882 gall-knob1892 scroll-gall1895 twig-gall1900 cecidium1902 1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms Twig-Gall, a morbid growth ascribed to the action of bacteria. twig girdler n. U.S. an American beetle, Oncideres cingulatus, which deposits its eggs in the tips of twigs, which it then girdles below the eggs ( Cent. Dict. 1891). ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > miscellaneous types > oncideres cingulatus (twig-girdler) twig girdler1874 1874 Rep. U.S. Dept. Agric. 1873 153 The twig girdler, Oncideres cingulatus... The insects girdle the twig before depositing their eggs. 1972 L. A. Swan & C. S. Papp Common Insects N. Amer. xx. 452 The Twig Girdler..is rough-surfaced, grayish brown or yellowish brown. 1974 Ridge Citizen (Johnston, S. Carolina) 18 Apr. 6/3 The twig girdlers deposit their eggs in the portions of the branches that fall to the ground. twig insect n. the stick-insect or ‘walking-stick’. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > order Phasmida > family Phasmidae walking stick1760 leaf insect1795 spectre1798 stick insect1826 spectrum1838 phasmid1864 stick bug1868 twig insect1882 witch's horse1894 1882 A. Wilson in Nature Stud. 37 The so-called ‘stick insects’, or ‘walking twigs’,..the Phasmidæ of the naturalist... The bodies of these ‘twig insects’..are represented by mere lines. twig-pruner n. U.S. = oak pruner n. at oak n. Compounds 3. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > Polyphaga (omnivorous) > superfamily Phytophaga or Chrysomeloidea > family Cerambycidae > elaphidion villosum (twig-pruner) oak pruner1819 twig-pruner1928 1928 C. L. Metcalf & W. P. Flint Destructive & Useful Insects xix. 664 Maple and oak twig pruner. 1972 L. A. Swan & C. S. Papp Common Insects N. Amer. xx. 446 Twig Pruner..Brown, clothed with irregular patches of grayish yellow pubescence. twig-rune n. a runic inscription with characters of twig-like form. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written character > [noun] > rune > type of rune tree1863 tree-rune1863 bough-runes1866 twig-rune1866 1866 G. Stephens Old-Northern Runic Monuments I. i. 84 Twig-runes occur on both Old-Northern and Scandinavian..runic monuments. twig-rush n. a tall marsh-plant, Cladium Mariscus, N.O. Cyperaceæ, having very long narrow rigid leaves. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > reedy or aquatic grasses > [noun] > sedges starc1300 carexa1398 float-grassc1440 red sedge1480 sag1531 pry grassa1600 flea-grass1670 star-grass1782 sedge1785 sea sedge1796 sharp-pry-grass1803 blue star grass1807 whip-grass1814 flea-sedge1816 saw-grass1822 mud rush1824 tight-locka1825 nut grass1830 razor grass1834 twig-rush1836 nut rush1843 sand grass1856 mud sedge1859 niggerhead1859 nutsedge1861 pingao1867 sword-rush1875 tupak-grass1884 tussock-sedge1884 sennegrass1897 nigger's-head1921 1836 J. T. Mackay Flora Hibern. i. 324 Cladium Mariscus, Br. Prickly Twig-rush. 1848 C. A. Johns Week at Lizard 311 Cladium Mariscus, Twig-rush, abounds in the higher parts of the stream. Derivatives ˈtwigless adj. destitute of twigs. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [adjective] > of or having twig(s) > not having twigs unsprayed1486 twigless1839 1839 Fraser's Mag. 20 345 A birch-tree, entirely boughless, branchless, and twigless. ˈtwiglet n. (a) a little twig; (b) (with capital initial) the proprietary name of a crisp, savoury snack in the shape of a twig. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig stickeOE twigc950 yardc950 sprintlea1250 ricec1275 twistc1374 sarmenta1398 tinea1400 lancec1400 pirnc1450 shred15.. shrubc1530 shrag1552 taunt1567 ramelet1652 hag wood1804 hag1808 fibre1810 twiglet1849 virgultum1866 thorn-twig1895 twigling1907 the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > prepared vegetables and dishes > [noun] > prepared potatoes > fried potatoes > crisps Saratoga chips1869 chip1871 potato chip1893 potato straw1895 potato crisp1921 crisp1929 twiglet1932 potato stick1937 nacho1948 potato puff1972 kettle chips1980 1849 J. A. Carlyle tr. Dante Inferno 146 If thou breakest off any twiglet from one of these plants. 1882 Garden 18 Mar. 181/2 Slender twiglets of this semi-weeping Spruce. 1932 Trade Marks Jrnl. 15 June 766 Twiglets... Biscuits. Peek, Frean & Company, Limited,..London, S.E. 16; manufacturers. 1962 M. Frayn Day of Dog 57 A cheese twiglet slips from my fingers. 1980 ‘J. Melville’ Chrysanthemum Chain 103 Walker set out a..drinks tray..and opened a tin of imported Twiglets. twigling n. = twiglet n. (a). ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig stickeOE twigc950 yardc950 sprintlea1250 ricec1275 twistc1374 sarmenta1398 tinea1400 lancec1400 pirnc1450 shred15.. shrubc1530 shrag1552 taunt1567 ramelet1652 hag wood1804 hag1808 fibre1810 twiglet1849 virgultum1866 thorn-twig1895 twigling1907 1907 Westm. Gaz 19 Oct. 6/1 As pliant twigling to the rigid oak. ˈtwigsome adj. twiggy. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [adjective] > of or having twig(s) twiggy1600 twigged1640 browsy1709 virgated1776 sprayey1849 twigsome1860 plical1890 1860 C. Dickens Uncommerc. Traveller in All Year Round 7 Apr. 558/1 The twigsome trees by the wayside (which, I suppose, never will grow leafy, for they never did). This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2022). twign.² Etymology: < twig v.³ 2. Now dialect. A pull; a twitch; a tug; a draught. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > [noun] > pulling > a sudden or sharp pull tita1425 pluck1440 twitching1478 twitch?1523 tuck1648 twang1721 twiga1800 twerk1820 yank1888 a1800 Laird of Wariston vi, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1890) IV. vii. 31/2 The nurice she knet the knot,..The lady did gie it a twig, Till it began to wicker. 1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Twig, a quick pull, a twitch. 1818 Naval Chron. 39 65 He was taken in tow by A Friend,..which twig to windward..will..enable him to round the Cape. 1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan I. 54 A ‘twig o' cider’ a piece. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2019). twign.³ Etymology: Origin unascertained. slang. ? Obsolete. 1. Style, fashion; also condition, state, fettle; esp. in the phrases in (prime, good) twig. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [noun] > the or a prevailing fashion gentryc1400 the fashion1569 mainstream1599 the trim1603 mood1646 mode1649 vogue1649 beauty1653 à la mode1654 turn1695 the kick1699 goût1717 thing1734 taste1739 ton1769 nick1788 the tippy1790 twig1811 latest1814 dernier mot1834 ticket1838 kibosh1880 last cry1887 le (or the) dernier cri1896 flavour of the month (or week)1946 vague1962 1811 Lexicon Balatronicum (at cited word) In twig, handsome; stilish. The cove is togged in twig; the fellow is dressed in the fashion. 1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. (at cited word) Any thing accomplished cleverly, or as it should be, is said to be done in twig, in good twig, or in prime twig. 1828 Sporting Mag. 22 77 Palemon was not in the twig I should like to see a horse of mine if about to start for such a stake. 1834 W. H. Ainsworth Rookwood II. iii. v. 345 With my strummel faked in the newest twig. 1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xi. 298 You're in twig to-night, I see. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xvii Going to the ball in proper twig. 2. out of twig [compare twig v.⁴] , out of knowledge or recognition: see quot. 1819. ΚΠ 1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. (at cited word) Out of twig, to put yourself out of twig is to disguise your dress and appearance, to avoid being recognised..; a man reduced by poverty to wear a shabby dress is said by his acquaintance to be out of twig; to put any article out of twig, as a stolen coat, cloak, &c. is to alter it in such a way that it cannot be identified. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online December 2018). twigv.¹ Etymology: < twig n.¹ Obsolete or dialect. 1. transitive. To beat with or as with a twig; figurative to reprove. ? Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)] threac897 threapc897 begripea1000 threata1000 castea1200 chaste?c1225 takec1275 blame1297 chastya1300 sniba1300 withnima1315 undernima1325 rebukec1330 snuba1340 withtakea1340 reprovec1350 chastisea1375 arate1377 challenge1377 undertake1377 reprehenda1382 repreync1390 runta1398 snapea1400 underfoc1400 to call to account1434 to put downc1440 snebc1440 uptakec1440 correptc1449 reformc1450 reprise?c1450 to tell (a person) his (also her, etc.) own1450 control1451 redarguec1475 berisp1481 to hit (cross) one over (of, on) the thumbs1522 checkc1530 admonish1541 nip1548 twig?1550 impreve1552 lesson1555 to take down1562 to haul (a person) over the coals1565 increpate1570 touch1570 school1573 to gather up1577 task1580 redarguate?1590 expostulate1592 tutor1599 sauce1601 snip1601 sneap1611 to take in tax1635 to sharp up1647 round1653 threapen1671 reprimand1681 to take to task1682 document1690 chapter1693 repulse1746 twink1747 to speak to ——1753 haul1795 to pull up1799 carpet1840 rig1841 to talk to1860 to take (a person) to the woodshed1882 rawhide1895 to tell off1897 to tell (someone) where he or she gets off1900 to get on ——1904 to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908 strafe1915 tick1915 woodshed1935 to slap (a person) down1938 sort1941 bind1942 bottle1946 mat1948 ream1950 zap1961 elder1967 the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > strike with specific thing [verb (transitive)] > strike with an object > with something pliant > lightly > make light stroke with (something pliant) twig?1550 flick1844 ?1550 J. Bale Apol. agaynste Papyst 142 Not one kynge hath bene in Englande sens the conquest, but they haue twygged hym one way or other, and had theyr false flynges at him. ?1553 Respublica (1952) v. viii. 56 Insolence... I will whippe youe for this ye peasaunte lowte. Adul. And twygge youe. 1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Kii/2 To Twig, verberare. a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) Twig, to give such..correction as may be inflicted with a twig... To give somewhat sharp, but not angry and severe reproof. 1826 T. Moore Mem. (1854) V. 118 Only for my knowing Lord Holland (said Southey) I would have twigged him for that. †2. To trim, prune (a tree). Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop sneda800 shredc1000 crop?c1225 purgec1384 parea1398 shear1398 shridea1425 dodc1440 polla1449 twist1483 top1509 stow1513 lop1519 bough?1523 head?1523 poll-shred1530 prune1547 prime1565 twig1570 reform1574 disbranch1575 shroud1577 snathe1609 detruncate1623 amputate1638 abnodate1656 duba1661 to strip up1664 reprune1666 pollard1670 shrub1682 log1699 switch1811 limb1835 preen1847 to cut back1871 shrig1873 brash1950 summer prune1980 1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Kii/2 To Twygge, putare viburna. †3. To bind with twigs or withes. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (transitive)] > bind > bind up or together > with flexible branches wattle1602 twig1688 yedder1818 withe1836 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 108/1 Twigging a Hoop [of a barrel], is binding the two ends together with cloven Twiggs of Withy, or Osier Twiggs. Derivatives ˈtwigging n.¹ ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > blow struck with an object or instrument > with a twig twigging1916 1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist iv. 174 To flee from noise which caused him painful nervous irritation such as the sharpening of knives..and the twigging of the carpet. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2019). twigv.² Etymology: Of obscure origin: compare twig v.³ Obsolete or dialect. intransitive. To do anything vigorously or strenuously. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)] twig1573 to go at ——1675 to go it1794 to come it1796 to lay it on thick1806 to blaze away1826 bushwhack1837 steam1842 split1844 rustle1882 to work like a demon1884 yank1888 go-at-it1904 to go somea1911 to put a jerk in it1919 to go (also do) one's (also a) dinger1923 to work (etc.) one's ass off1924 to go to town1933 to gie (or give) it laldy1974 1573 T. Twyne tr. Virgil in T. Phaer & T. Twyne tr. Virgil Whole .xii. Bks. Æneidos xii. L l iij The bird of mightie Ioue..a shole of foules she did pursue And twigginge forth apace fast on her flight the Egle flue. 1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Twig,..to do any thing strenuously, to work with might and main. Derivatives ˈtwigging n.² and adj.¹ ΚΠ 1573 T. Twyne tr. Virgil in T. Phaer & T. Twyne tr. Virgil Whole .xii. Bks. Æneidos xi. I i iv b Lyke a fawcon that..at a twygginge doue vnto the cloudes swyft winge doth make. 1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 34^v The lamb of such twynners, for breeders go take. For twinlings be twiggers, encrease for to bring: though som for their twigging, peccantem may sing. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online September 2021). twigv.³ Etymology: Of obscure origin; perhaps merely an imitative word of the same type as twick v., tweag tweak n.¹, and tug n.¹ Now dialect. †1. transitive. See quot. 1725. Obsolete slang. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > break off breaka1200 to break away1420 to break off1530 brit1578 twig1725 1725 New Canting Dict. To Twig, to disingage, to sunder, to snap, to break off. To twig the Darbies, to knock off the Irons. 2. To pull, pluck, twitch. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > push and pull [verb (transitive)] > pull > suddenly or sharply twickeOE plitchOE to-twitchc1175 twitchc1330 tricec1386 tita1400 pluckc1400 ramp1567 snatch1590 pook1633 squitch1680 twig1755 shrug1807 yank1848 1755 J. Shebbeare Lydia (1769) II. 49 Write,..or Frank shall twig your nose from your face. 1790 D. Morison Poems 78 Let rantin billys twig the string, An' for the tither mutchkin ring. 1864 Reader 23 Jan. 105 To stretch strings on pegs and to twig them with thumb or with plectrum was one of the earliest of human amusements. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Twig, to, to pull upon a bowline. Derivatives ˈtwigging adj.² ΘΚΠ the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > [adjective] > relating to or used in pulling > pulling suddenly or sharply yanking1823 twigging1864 1864 Reader 23 Jan. 105 The genus stringed-instrument consists of three species, which may be defined, to use the vernacular, as the twigging, the hammering, and the scraping. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online September 2018). twigv.⁴ Etymology: Origin unascertained. slang or colloquial. 1. transitive. a. To watch; to look at; to inspect. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > watch or observe keepc1000 overseeOE waitc1300 advisec1325 awaita1375 to wait on ——c1384 markc1400 contemplec1429 to keep (also have) an (or one's) eye on (also upon)a1450 to look straitly to?c1450 to wait after ——c1460 vizy1488 contemplatea1533 vise1551 pry?1553 observe1567 eye1592 over-eye?1592 watch1600 outwatch1607 spell1633 superintend1654 under-watch1654 tent1721 evigilate1727 twig1764 stag1796 eye-serve1800 spy1806 deek1825 screw1905 clock1911 1764 S. Foote Mayor of Garret ii. 36 Now, twig him; now, mind him: mark how he hawls his muscles about. 1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well I. iv. 92 ‘Twig the old connoisseur,’ said the Squire to the Knight. 1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xx. 200 ‘They're a twiggin' you, Sir,’ whispered Mr. Weller. 1841 J. T. J. Hewlett Parish Clerk I. 173 Oblige me by twigging that trio. 1876 A. J. Evans Through Bosnia iii. 89 A motley assemblage..‘twigged us’ at their leisure. b. To become aware of by seeing; to perceive, discern, catch sight of; to recognize. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > succeed in seeing or catch sight of underyetec1000 aspya1250 kenc1275 ofyetec1275 choosea1300 akenc1300 descrivec1300 ofkenc1300 readc1300 espyc1320 descryc1330 spyc1380 discernc1405 discover1553 scan1558 scry1558 decern1559 describe1574 to make out1575 escry1581 interview1587 display1590 to set sight of (in)c1595 sight1602 discreevec1650 glance1656 to catch a glimpse of1679 steal1731 oversee1735 glimpse1779 twig1796 to clap eyes on1838 spot1848 sky1900 1796 J. G. Holman Abroad & at Home iii. ii. 73 He twigs me. He knows Dicky here in his real and masquerade character both. 1801 M. G. Lewis Sailor's Tale in Tales of Wonder ii With strange surprise and fear, Jack Tackle's ghost I twigg'd. 1825 Countess Granville Let. 30 Jan. (1894) I. 339 They have twigged me. 1860 Hunting Grounds Old World (ed. 2) 1st Ser. xii. 189 The leader, whom at last I twigged lying down and chewing the cud. 1879 F. T. Pollok Sport Brit. Burmah I. 191 I twigged the tigress creeping away in front of us. 2. a. figurative. To understand, comprehend. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (transitive)] yknoweOE acknowOE anyeteOE latchc1000 undernimc1000 understandc1000 underyetec1000 afindOE knowOE seeOE onfangc1175 takec1175 underfindc1200 underfonga1300 undertakea1300 kenc1330 gripea1340 comprehend1340 comprendc1374 espyc1374 perceivea1387 to take for ——?1387 catcha1398 conceivea1398 intenda1400 overtakea1400 tenda1400 havec1405 henta1450 comprise1477 skilla1500 brook1548 apprend1567 compass1576 perstanda1577 endue1590 sound1592 engrasp1593 in1603 fathom1611 resent1614 receivea1616 to take up1617 apprehend1631 to take in1646 grasp1680 understumblec1681 forstand1682 savvy1686 overstand1699 uptake1726 nouse1779 twig1815 undercumstand1824 absorb1840 sense1844 undercumstumble1854 seize1855 intelligize1865 dig1935 read1956 1815 Zeluca III. 144 You twig me—eh? 1821 Countess Granville Lett. (1894) I. 208 York roared again [at the jokes], Clarence was dull and did not twig them. 1852 R. S. Surtees Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour vi. xxvii. 166 I twigged what you were after, and kept him up in talk. 1897 ‘Tivoli’ Short Innings ix Make a howler or two, or else he'll twig you've cribbed. b. intransitive. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)] seeOE understandc1000 knowlOE tellc1390 conceive1563 smoke1676 overstand1699 view1711 savvy1785 dig1789 twig1832 capisce1904 1832 M. Scott Tom Cringle's Log xvi, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 923/1 The captain twigged, and smiled. 1845 B. Disraeli Sybil III. v. x. 130 ‘I twig’, said Mick. 1893 C. G. Leland Memoirs I. 197 I twig; it's all right; I'll keep your secret. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2021). < n.¹c950n.²a1800n.³1811v.¹?1550v.²1573v.³1725v.⁴1764
随便看	quibbles quibbles and quiddities quibblesanctioning quibblespringe quibbling quibblingly quibbly quibibble quibibe quibible quiblet quiblin quice tree quiche quiche lorraine quichean quiches quiché quick quick , etc) on at the uptake quick , etc) on in the uptake quick , etc) on the uptake quick about something quick anatomy quick and dead

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