noun
1A small songbird that searches acrobatically for insects among foliage and branches.
Family Paridae: three genera, especially Parus, and numerous species. See
blue tit
,
great tit‘This behavior is especially prevalent among chickadees and tits that scatter hoard food items in foliage, branches, and bark of trees.’- ‘Scurrying about in the woodland fringes, hedges and feeding sites are finches, tits and thrushes keep your eyes open for the occasional hen harrier, merlin and sparrowhawk.’
- ‘He pointed out that not only pigeons live in the South Parade area, but ravens, jackdaws, collared doves, blackbirds, thrushes, wagtails, tits and the now-endangered house sparrow.’
- ‘Lovebirds, barbets, tits and finches warm themselves in the cozy chambers built by the weavers.’
- ‘No wonder the tits and finches were so noisy and active.’
- 1.1Used in names of birds that are similar or related to the tits, e.g. penduline tit, New Zealand tit.
Origin
noun
1 vulgar slang A woman's breast.
mammary gland, mamma- 1.1British informal A foolish or ineffectual person.idiot, halfwit, nincompoop, blockhead, buffoon, dunce, dolt, ignoramus, cretin, imbecile, dullard, moron, simpleton, clod
- 1.1British informal A foolish or ineffectual person.
2 military slang A button that is pushed to fire a gun or release a bomb.
Phrases
- get on someone's tits
Irritate someone intensely.
Used in reference to the use of crudely sexual images of women.
British vulgar slang
mainly North American vulgar slang
Origin
Old English tit ‘teat, nipple’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tit and German Zitze. The vulgar slang use was originally US and dates from the early 20th century.
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