nitty

English

WOTD – 12 September 2018

Pronunciation

This child’s eyelashes are nitty (sense 1) – they have been infested with nits, the eggs of the head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis)

Etymology 1

nit +‎ -y. The “foolish, inane” adjective sense is from nit (“fool, nitwit”), possibly under the influence of nutty (“crazy, mad”).[1]

The origin of the noun sense (“dope field, druggie”) is unknown, but could refer to a person who is under the influence of drugs to the extent that he or she is careless about personal hygiene and unkempt.

Adjective

nitty (comparative nittier or more nitty, superlative nittiest or most nitty)

  1. Full of nits.
    • a. 1588, “The Trickes of the Fayry Called Pach”, in Robin Good-Fellovv, His Mad Prankes, and Merry Iests: […] , London: Printed [by Miles Flesher?] for F[rancis] Groue […] , published 1628, OCLC 55196812; republished in J[ohn] Payne Collier, editor, Early English Poetry, Ballads, and Popular Literature of the Middle Ages. […] , volume II, London: Printed for the Percy Society, […] , 1840, OCLC 630049935, page 41:
      About mid-night do I walke, and for the trickes I play they call me Pach. When I find a slut asleepe, I smuch her face if it be cleane; but if it be durty, I wash it in the next pisse-pot that I can finde: the balls I use to wash such sluts withal is a sows pancake or a pilgrimes salve. Those that I find with their heads nitty and scabby, for want of combing, I am their barbers, and cut their hayre as close as an apes tayle; or else clap so much pitch on it, that they must cut it off themselves to their great shame.
    • 1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […] , London: Printed [by R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […] , published 1602, OCLC 316392309, Act III, scene iv:
      Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him. / Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: […]
  2. (Britain, slang) Foolish, inane.
    Synonyms: dumb, idiotic

Translations

Noun

nitty (plural nitties)

  1. (African American Vernacular, MLE, slang) A dope fiend, a druggie.
    • 1998 September 15, “Fiend ’98”, in Respect, performed by Shaquille O’Neal:
      See me breeze in a cream Bentley / Fronting in the sun that’s two-seated / Believe it, pull up to the light and now you looking defeated / Girl, grilling my ice got you heated (yeah) / Yep, beef with the nitty I never needed (wha-wha)
    • 2016 February 22, Monkey (lyrics), “Let’s Lurk”, performed by 67 ft Giggs:
      Trapping ain't dead, the nitty still clucking and ringing my phone / Chilling with bro, talking ’bout money, dough to the dome
    • 2017 September 6, “My Kingdom”, performed by Tel Money:
      I got some nitties on this phone / They ring me consistently / I know the ops hate this face / wanna make me #history
    • 2017 December 22, “No Hook”, performed by 61 – Cee Drilla × Beans × Nz × Ruger:
      And I am whipping off raw, that’s messy / The nitties them call that selly

Synonyms

  • See Thesaurus:addict

Translations

Etymology 2

A clipping of nitid (“bright, lustrous, shining”), or directly derived from Latin nitidus (“glittering, shining”), from niteō (“to glitter, shine; to look beautiful or bright”) (from Proto-Indo-European *ney- (“to shine”)) + idus (“suffix meaning ‘tending to’”).

Adjective

nitty (comparative more nitty, superlative most nitty)

  1. (obsolete, rare) Shining; elegant, spruce.
    • 1598, John Marston, “Satire III. Quædam et sunt, et videntur.”, in The Metamorphosis of Pigmalions Image. And Certaine Satyres, At London: printed [by James Roberts] for Edmond Matts, […], OCLC 84756475; republished in A[rthur] H[enry] Bullen, editor, The Works of John Marston [...] In Three Volumes, volume III, London: John C. Nimmo […], 1887, OCLC 978017688, lines 18–22, pages 276–277:
      O dapper, rare, complete, sweet nitty youth! / Jesu Maria! How his clothes appear / Cross'd and recross'd with lace, sure for some fear / Lest that some spirit with a tippet mace / Should with a ghastly show affright his face.

Translations

References

  1. ↑ Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors (2013), “nitty”, in The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd edition, Abingdon, Oxon.; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 1584.

Further reading

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