tilt

Etymology 1

From Middle English tilte, from Old English tyltan (“to be unsteady”), related to the adjective tealt (“unsteady”), from Proto-Germanic *taltaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”), see also Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”).. Cognate with Icelandic tölt (“an ambling pace”). The nominal sense of "a joust" appears around 1510, presumably derived from the barrier which separated the combatants, which suggests connection with tilt "covering". The modern transitive meaning is from 1590; the intransitive use appears 1620.

verb

1. (transitive) To slope or incline (something); to slant.
   Tilt the barrel to pour out its contents.
2. (intransitive) To be at an angle.
   “Marge Gets A Job” opens with the foundation of the Simpson house tilting perilously to one side, making the family homestead look like the suburban equivalent of the Leaning Tower Of Pisa. May 20, 2012, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Marge Gets A Job” (season 4, episode 7; originally aired 11/05/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club
3. (intransitive, jousting) To charge (at someone) with a lance.
4. (transitive) To point or thrust a weapon at.
5. (transitive) To point or thrust (a weapon).
   Sons against fathers tilt the fatal lance. 1708, John Philips, Cyder
   Mr. Smith strongly tilts at Mr. McCarter's use of the adjective "unprepossessing" to describe the station buildings at Moniaive and elsewhere; …. 1944 May and June, “Notes and News: Moniaive Branch Locomotive Power”, in Railway Magazine, page 182
6. To forge (something) with a tilt hammer.
   to tilt steel in order to render it more ductile
7. (pinball, of a machine) To intentionally let the ball fall down to the drain by disabling flippers and most targets, done as a punishment to the player when the machine is nudged too violently or frequently.
8. (originally poker, video games, chess, slang) To enter a state of frustration and worsened performance resulting from a series of losses.
   Even the best players can tilt which can cause their performance to drop significantly. Players often tilt when they're on a losing spree or frustrated with the game. 2 September 2022, Gökhan Çakır, Harrison Thomas, “How to get better at VALORANT”, in Dot Esports, archived from the original on 2023-03-15
   This was yet another surprising momentum swing, with Nepomniachtchi seemingly having addressed his tendency to tilt after a loss, and with Ding crashing back down to Earth after having squared the ledger in the previous game. Is this a new Nepomniachtchi, capable of digging deep and avenging losses? 19 April 2023, Ben Tippett, “Haymakers Are Flying At The World Chess Championship”, in Defector, archived from the original on 2023-06-05

noun

1. A slope or inclination.
2. The inclination of part of the body, such as backbone, pelvis, head, etc.
3. (photography) The controlled vertical movement of a camera, or a device to achieve this.
4. A jousting contest. (countable)
   Justs and tilts were held here weekly, while the great tourneys that occurred less often were given upon a field outside the castle wall upon the floor of the valley. 1928, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter 11, in Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, page 139
5. An attempt at something, such as a tilt at public office.
   City will now make the Premier League an even bigger priority, while regrouping and planning again for what they hope will be another tilt at the Champions League next season. December 7, 2011, Phil McNulty, “Man City 2 - 0 Bayern Munich”, in BBC Sport
6. A thrust, as with a lance.
7. A tilt hammer.
8. (uncountable, poker, video games, chess, slang) A state of frustration and worsened performance resulting from a series of losses.
   to go on tilt
   In his landmark book, The Mental Game of Poker, sports psychologist Jared Tendler defines "tilt" as "anger + bad play". In short, you lose your mental equilibrium and start playing below your best, often making big mistakes. Tilt is caused by many different factors and Tendler defines seven types of tilt. 10 September 2014, Amit Varma, “Magnus Carlsen's weakness”, in The Economic Times, Mumbai: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2014-09-19
   In his follow-up video below, ScrapComputer goes into a long list of suggestions for stopping and avoiding tilt while you play League of Legends. 26 February 2016, Philip Kollar, “What is 'tilt' in League of Legends, and how can you avoid it?”, in Polygon, archived from the original on 2023-04-01
   As long as you know that being consistent and sticking to a strategy in the long run, will win you money, you can avoid tilt and negative emotions. 16 March 2022, “Online poker: from beginner to pro”, in Times of Malta, archived from the original on 2022-04-21

Etymology 2

From Middle English telte, tield, teld, from Old English teld (“tent”), from Proto-West Germanic *teld, from Proto-Germanic *teldą (“tent”). Perhaps influenced by Middle Low German telt, or Danish telt. Cognates include German Zelt (“tent”), Old Norse tjald (“tent”) (whence also archaic Danish tjæld (“tent”)). More at teld.

noun

1. A canvas covering for carts, boats, etc.
   The tilt hooding the spring-cart was insecure - even the jolt from the down-and-up curving river bend near the house had brought it down twice. 1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 253
2. Any covering overhead; especially, a tent.
   But the rain made an ass Of tilt and canvas a. 1669, John Denham, To Sir John Mennis, being invited from Calais to Boulogne, to eat a Pig

verb

1. (transitive) To cover with a tilt, or awning.