Word of the Week (August 17 - 23) twillick

Twillick

Definition according to the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:

twillick n also twilleck, twillet, twillic, twillig, twillik, twillock. Cp OED twillock (Nfld: 1620) obs var of willock 'guillemot' (1631-); DC Nfld (1842-) for sense

1. 1 Greater yellow-legs (Totanus melanoleucus); occas lesser yellow-legs (T. flavipes), and other long-legged birds frequenting sea-shore and streams: plover, snipe; AUNTSARY1.

[1620] 1887 MASON 151 The Fowles are ... Teales, Twillockes, excellent wilde Ducks of diuers sorts and aboundance, rare and not to be found in Europe.

1842 JUKES i, 141 We shot a couple of 'twillecks,' a grey long-legged bird. about the size and shape of a plover, that frequents the shores of the lakes and arms of the sea.

1868 HOWLEY MS Reminiscences 25 I spent my day looking around the place, caught some small trout and shot one twillick.

1870 Can Naturalist v, 295 Then they are a perfect nuisance to the sportsman, as they not only keep out of range themselves, but alarm every other bird by their incessant cry of 'twillick,' 'twillick'. . . Provincial names of this bird are 'twillick' [and] 'twillet.'

1907 MILLAIS 86 The greater yellowshank ... locally known as 'Twillik,' is very common in all the Newfoundland rivers during the summer and autumn.

1910 PRICHARD 59 Several flocks of yellow-shanks, locally known as 'twilligs,' haunted these flat shores in some numbers.

1951 PETERS & BURLEIGH 192 Greater Yellow-legs... Local Name: Twillick. Voice: A fast repeated whee-oodle, whee-oodle, or twil-ick, twil-ick... It is a verv noisy bird.

1959 MCATEE 27 Twillig. Semipalmated Plover. Ibid 28 Twillic. Common Snipe.

1964 JACKSON 14 'Twillicks' eat small fish and water insects. They used to be a game bird but are now protected. 2 Epithet for a fool; an inexperienced boy P 69-63 Don't be such a twillick! P 198-67 He's just a twillick (boy of eight years of age about to go trouting for the first time). C 69-9 Go away, you twillick (fool). P 79-73 The oldest child is real big, but the youngest is a real twillick.

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