twitchyadj.1
/ˈtwɪtʃi/, U.S. /ˈtwɪtʃi/ Now rare.
Full of or overgrown with couch grass or a similar rapidly spreading grass (see twitch n.2). Also: made of such grass; of the nature of such grass.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [adjective] > cleared > not cleared or overgrown
unclean?1440
weedy?1440
spare1508
unweeded1604
uncleared1623
twitchy1652
uncured1719
turfy1733
mushroomed1886
the world > animals > birds > nest or bird defined by > [adjective] > made of specific material
downed1576
twitchya1864
1652 W. Blith Eng. Improver Improved xxviii. 192 If upon a stony land, or twichy woody Land, it must be narrower.
1742 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman Aug. xvii. 88 It turned up every Time with a sour twitchy Earth.
1829 S. Glover Hist. County of Derby I. 195 He ploughs twitchy lands but once.
a1864 J. Clare in J. L. Cherry Life & Remains J. Clare (1873) 137 How beautiful to see thee..Winnowing thy russet wings above thy twitchy nest.
1930 Auckland Star 30 Apr. 10/4 In South Otago and Southland that fine twitchy grass known as browntop has found its natural habitat in large areas.
1963 Y. Carter On to Andorra vi. 54 The beds are a mile or so out of the little town down a winding road of twitchy grass.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
twitchyadj.2
/ˈtwɪtʃi/, U.S. /ˈtwɪtʃi/ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [adjective] > of part where vein is compressed
twitchy1747
1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. at Roach Many good Veins that..have been wrought to a vast Depth, yet it is found in the end to grow hard and Twitchey on the Soles.
2.
a. Characterized by twitching; having a tendency to twitch; (hence) nervous, fidgety, irritable.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > [adjective] > spasmodic > twitching > twitchy
twitchy1787
tweaky1882
the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > tension > [adjective]
tautc1275
rigid?a1425
high-strung1653
wound-up1788
stretched1799
high-toned1804
overstrung1810
intense1817
tense1821
high-tuned1827
screwed-up1829
twittery1840
high-keyed1848
strung-up1853
strained1863
tensioned1872
twitchy1874
keyed-up1885
tensed1911
uptight1934
wired1970
1787 W. Beckford Jrnl. 24 June in Jrnl. Portugal & Spain (1954) (modernized text) 102 The Doctor displayed his rueful length of person in such a twitchy angular minuet as I hope not to see again in a hurry.
1819 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) IV. 942 Qualmy and twitchy from the effects of an Aperient.
1839 Fraser's Mag. 20 671 Her lips were long, loose, and twitchy.
1874 A. J. C. Hare Jrnl. 11 Oct. in Story of my Life (1900) IV. xvii. 245 An excellent person, but very nervous and twitchy.
1924 W. M. Raine Troubled Waters xx. 221 When she said goodbye to him it was with a wan twitchy little smile on her face.
1969 M. H. Wolf Vermont is always with You 39 We were twitchy about Jackie's chances of survival in the cold barn.
2004 J. Denby Billie Morgan xiv. 103 Why are so many regular hash-heads so bloody twitchy? The fact is, it makes you paranoid.
b. colloquial. Of a motor vehicle, trailer, etc.: tending to judder slightly or veer momentarily sideways, esp. at high speed; that handles unstably or unpredictably. Cf. twitch v.1 4e.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > specific movements or positions of aircraft > [adjective] > unstable or veering momentarily sideways
twitchy1968
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [adjective] > of or relating to motor vehicles > that handles unstably or unpredictably
twitchy1968
1968 Car & Driver July 93/3 The body roll is less than you'd expect..even though it's still a bit twitchy.
1972 Independent Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.) 8 Dec. s6/6 It [sc. the car] must not be twitchy otherwise there is a real stability problem.
1987 Pilots Internat. Mar. 11/1 The R22..is a very sensitive machine, one could even call it slightly twitchy in the wrong hands.
2013 Pract. Caravan (Nexis) Nov. 101 It [sc. a caravan] was never twitchy on the open road.
Derivatives
ˈtwitchiness n. the state or condition of being twitchy; nervousness, fidgetiness, irritability.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > tension > [noun]
tensure1626
twitchiness1834
tension1847
tensity1862
hypertension1936
uptightness1969
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > irritability > [noun]
impatiencec1230
eagernessa1400
unsufferancea1400
impatiency1526
testiness1526
impatientness1550
touchiness1603
tetchiness1623
irritability1791
twitchiness1834
rustiness1860
soreheadedness1860
shirtiness1868
chippiness1877
rattiness1898
cabin fever1918
snarkiness1960
edginess1963
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [noun]
mourningeOE
businessOE
busyOE
carefulnessa1000
carec1000
howc1000
embeþonkc1200
thought?c1250
cark1330
curea1340
exercisec1386
solicitude?a1412
pensienessc1450
anxietya1475
fear1490
thought-taking1508
pensement1516
carp1548
caring1556
hoe1567
thoughtfulness1569
carking1583
caretaking1625
anxiousness1636
solicitousness1636
concern1692
solicitation1693
anxietude1709
twitchiness1834
uptightness1969
1834 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 25 Jan. 410/1 There is a peculiar twitchiness about the noses and upper lips of some men, which contributes to give them this universally familiar air.
1861 Punch 17 Aug. 63/1 I must be concise as possible, to save time and expense, which may produce a certain twitchiness of style.
1933 J. Thurber My Life & Hard Times p. xv This type of writing is..the manifestation of a twitchiness at once cosmic and mundane.
1984 Times 23 Mar. 12/6 (heading) Twitchiness in the president's camp.
2016 Toronto Star (Nexis) 14 Aug. s1 She set aside the perennial anxiety, the nerves that eat at her composure, the high-strung twitchiness.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.11652adj.21747