twit

Etymology

Originally the past tense of twite, an aphetic form of atwite.

verb

1. (transitive) To reproach, blame; to ridicule or tease.
   "Hath he not twit our sovereign lady here With ignominious words, though clerkly couch'd, As if she had suborned some to swear 1590, Shakespeare, History of Henry VI, Part II, Act III, Scene I
   Nay, do not twit me now with all the freaks, And levities, and gambols charged upon me By every lean-faced dame that wears a hood. 1836, Joanna Baillie, Romiero, act 3, page 55
   Mr. Cramer, a policeman, came this morning and twitted me for having let a murderer hoodwink me. 1955, Rex Stout, "When a Man Murders...", in Three Witnesses, October 1994 Bantam edition, page 106
   Secrecy about B.R. plans for reorganisation and closure of lines and notably some failures to consult with staff representatives concerned with redundancy, are defects with which the railway unions have twitted Dr. Beeching. 1962 August, “Talking of Trains: Under their hats”, in Modern Railways, page 80
   H. R. Fox Bourne, secretary of the Aborigines' Protection Society – often twitted for being an ‘armchair critic’ – wrote in a review of one of Stanley's books […] 2007, Bernard Porter, "Did He Puff his Crimes to Please a Bloodthirsty Readership?", review of Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa’s Greatest Explorer by Tim Jeal, London Review of Books, 5 April, 29:7, p. 10
2. (transitive, computing) To ignore or killfile (a user on a bulletin board system).
   However, on the Internet BBS's such as Quartz (now dead), Prism, Monsoon, Sunset, ect, someone pulling that kind of crap is likely to get flamed quite fast and twitted before he/she can breathe. 1995, Michelle Jackson, “Debutante/Question about Tori Shirts”, in rec.music.tori-amos (Usenet)
   And no, there is no "thought purification program" that can filter out some folks obscene ideas that can be expressed w/o written vulgarities. That has to be simply "dealt" with, either by ignoring or twitting the individual that offends habitually. 2002, Chris Hoppman, “FidoNet Feed Needed”, in alt.bbs (Usenet)

noun

1. A reproach, gibe or taunt.
2. A foolish or annoying person.
   What do you mean, since when did I become such a radical fairy? Since I started knowing twits like you, you twit! 1988, Larry Kramer, Just Say No
3. A person who twitters, i.e. chatters inanely.