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Twat

Twat is an English-language vulgarism which means the vulva or vagina, and is used figuratively as a derogatory epithet. In British English and Irish English it is a common insult referring to an obnoxious or stupid person regardless of gender; in American English, it is rarer and usually used to insult a woman. In Britain and Ireland, the usual pronunciation rhymes with hat, while Americans most often use the older pronunciation that rhymes with squat. This is reflected in the former variant spelling of twot. The literal sense is first attested in 1656, the epithet in the 1930s. The word's etymology is uncertain. The American Heritage Dictionary suggests a conjectural Old English word , meaning 'a cut', cognate with the Old Norse ( ). Jonathon Green suggests a connection with twitchel, a dialect term for a narrow passage. The 20th-century British slang verb twat, meaning 'to hit, whack', is probably an unrelated homonym of onomatopoeic origin.

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Article summary

Twat is an English-language vulgarism which means the vulva or vagina, and is used figuratively as a derogatory epithet. In British English and Irish English it is a common insult referring to an obnoxious or stupid person regardless of gender; in American English, it is rarer and usually used to insult a woman. In Britain and Ireland, the usual pronunciation rhymes with hat, while Americans most often use the older pronunciation that rhymes with squat. This is reflected in the former variant spelling of twot. The literal sense is first attested in 1656, the epithet in the 1930s. The word's etymology is uncertain. The American Heritage Dictionary suggests a conjectural Old English word , meaning 'a cut', cognate with the Old Norse ( ). Jonathon Green suggests a connection with twitchel, a dialect term for a narrow passage. The 20th-century British slang verb twat, meaning 'to hit, whack', is probably an unrelated homonym of onomatopoeic origin.

Key claims

  1. publication date: 1916 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. release date: 1969 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "1916". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the release date is "1969". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373947526

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.