Re: Tidbit
Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 12:01 am
Only in the States. The Brits tend to use titbit.PolyGirl wrote:People, please!
The proper saying is "tidbit".
Word Detective wrote:Dear Word Detective: The other day a co-worker said he had a little "tidbit" I might be interested in. Turns out it had something to do with the fact none of us were getting raises, which doesn't fall under the definition of "tidbit" in my book! Since I'm certain now I won't be going shopping for a new car, I really would like to know where in the world the term "tidbit" came from. --Chris Anderson, via the internet.
Jeez Louise, Chris, get with the program. Your co-worker was being "ironic" when he called news of your impending financial doom a "tidbit." This is The Age of Irony, remember? Saying the opposite of what you mean is cool. It also relieves you of taking anything seriously. So let a sly smirk be your umbrella as you walk to work, and if your boss passes you in his new Lincoln, well, that's sort of ironic too, isn't it?
I must admit that, had I been you, that little nugget of information would have ruined my entire day, at least, and I too would hardly have considered it a "tidbit," which is defined as a small piece of something, usually something pleasant. "Tidbit" is one of many everyday figures of speech in English that began as food terms. "Tidbit" originally meant a small, tasty morsel of food (from the English dialect word "tid," meaning "tender, soft, delicate," plus "bit," meaning "small piece"). "Tidbit" first appeared in English way back around 1640 in the "food" sense, and by about 1735 was being used to mean "a small, interesting piece of news or information" Later in the 18th century, "tidbit" came to be used for anything small or inconsequential.
Interestingly, although "tidbit" is rooted in the dialects of England, the variant form "titbit" is more commonly heard in Britain today and "tidbit" is largely restricted to the U.S. The "tit" in "titbit" apparently arose by analogy to such words as "titmouse" (a small bird), where "tit" is a very old term for a small animal or object.