T W E 
to sound.—A freeman of London has the privilege of dis¬ 
turbing a whole street with tw an king of a brass kettle. 
Addison. 
TWANN, Great and Little, two small but neat towns 
of the Swiss canton of Bern, on the west side of the lake of 
Bienne. The environs abound in wine; 5 miles west-south- 
west of Bienne, and 13 east-north-east of Neufchatel. 
’TWAS. Contracted from it was. —If he asks who bid 
thee, say 'twas I. Dryden. 
To TWA'TTLE, v. n. [schwatzen, Germ.] To prate; 
to gabble; to chatter.—It is not for every twattling gossip 
to undertake. L'Estrange. 
To TWA'TTLE, v. a. To pat, to make much of, as 
horses, cows, dogs. North. Grose. 
TWATTLING, s. Act of prating; idle chatter.—When 
one talks toys or trifles, and speaks shadows or gawds that 
yield no profit; such twattling cuts out the heart of good 
time. Whately. 
TWAY, [twai, Goth.] For Twain. 
Guyon’s angry blade so fierce did play 
On th’ other’s helmet, which as Titan shone. 
That quite it clove his plumed crest in tway. Spenser. 
TWAWBLADE, s. [Ophris , Lat.] A polypetalous 
flower, consisting of six dissimilar leaves, of which the five 
upper ones are so disposed, as to represent in some measure 
an helmet, the under one being headed and shaped like a 
man. Miller. 
To TWEAG, or To Tweak, v. a. [It is written tweag 
by Skinner, but tweak by other writers. Dr. Johnson. 
From the Sax. epic can, tpiccian, to twitch, vellere, carpere.] 
To pinch; to squeeze betwixt the fingers. 
Who calls me villain, breaks my pate across, 
Tweaks me by the nose. Shakspeare. 
TWEAGUE, or Tweak, s. [epeogan, Sax., to hesitate » 
to doubt. The Swed. tuekan, as Lye observes, is also hesi¬ 
tation ; from tueka, to doubt.] Perplexity; ludicrous dis¬ 
tress. A low word.- —This put the old fellow in a rare 
tweague. Arbuthnot. 
TWEED, a large river of Scotland, which rises in the 
south-west corner of the county of Peebles, from a well 
called Tweedswell, 1500 feet above the level of the sea, near 
where the counties of Peebles, Dumfries, and Lanark join, 
and near the sources of the Clyde and Annan. It takes a 
course nearly north-east, being augmented by a number of 
small streams. It is then joined by the Lyne about three, 
and the Manor about two miles above Peebles, where it is 
joined by Eddlestone water, by the Leithan near Inver- 
leithan, and the Quair on the opposite side; when, running 
nearly east, its stream is augmented by the Etterick 3 miles 
below Selkirk, the Gala If mile below Galashiels, the 
Leader at Drygrange bridge, and the Teviot at Kelso. A 
few miles below this town it leaves Roxburgh-shire, and 
forms for many miles the boundary between England and 
Berwickshire, until it falls into the German ocean at the 
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. During this part of its 
course, it receives the Eden 4 miles below Kelso, the Till 
at Tillmouth, and the Whittader about 5 or 6 miles from its 
mouth. The Tweed abounds with various kinds of trout; 
and the salmon fishings are particularly valuable. It is a 
celebrated pastoral stream, giving name to many of the most 
beautiful Scottish melodies. 
TWEEDALE, that district of Peebles and Berwickshire, 
in Scotland, watered by the river Tweed, and a name often 
used for the county of Peebles. It gives the title of marquis 
to the noble family of Hay. 
TWEEDEN, a small river of Scotland, in Roxburgh¬ 
shire, which joins the Liddal a little below New Castle¬ 
town. 
To TWE'EDLE, v. a. [Derivation unknown.] .To 
handle lightly. Used of awkward fiddling —A fidler 
brought in with him a body of lusty young fellows, whom 
he had tweedled into the service. Addison. 
TWEEDMOUTH, a parish of England, in that division 
of Durham called Islandshire, situated at the northern part 
T W E 207 
of Northumberland, and communicating by a bridge with 
Berwick-upon-Tweed. Population 3917. 
TWEEDSMUIR, a parish of Scotland, in Peebles-shire, 
about 9 miles long, and in many places of the same breadth. 
Population 254. 
TWE'EZERS, s. [ etuy , French. Dr. Johnson. —For¬ 
merly, nearer to the etymon, tweese: as, “ a surgeon’s 
tweese, or box of instruments.” Sherwood.'] Nippers, or 
small pincers to pluck off hairs. 
There hero’s wits are kept in pond’rous vases, 
And beaus in snuff-boxes and Geezer-cases. Pope. 
TWELFTH, adj. [cpelpta, Sax.] Second after the 
tenth; the ordinal of twelve.—He found Elisha plowing 
with twelve yoke of oxen, and he with the twelfth. 
1 Kings. —Supposing, according to the standard, five shil¬ 
lings were to weigh an ounce, wanting about sixteen grains, 
whereof one twelfth were copper, and eleven twelfths 
silver, it is plain here the quantity of silver gives the value. 
Locke. 
TWE'LFTHTIDE, *. The twelfth day after Christinas. 
Plough-munday, next after that twelfthtide, 
Bids out with the plough. Tusser. 
TWELVE, adj. [M. Goth, twalib, or twalif; Sax., 
tpeolp, tpelp; a twa, duo, et antiq. laib, residuum; a 
lefwa, relinquere; (duo scil. digiti supra decern numeratos 
residui.) Serenius.] Two and ten ; twice six.—Thou hast 
beat me out twelve several times. Shakspeare. 
TWELVE APOSTLES, a number of small islands at the 
west extremity of the straits of Magellan, on the coast of 
Terra del Fuego, between Cape Pillar and Cape Deseada. 
TWELVE ISLES, or Twelve Apostles, islands on 
the south side of Lake Superior. 
TWELVE MILE CREEK, a river of South Carolina, 
which runs into the Salada. Lat. 34. 50. N. long. 81. 
16. W. 
TWELVE PINS, a range of mountains of Ireland, in the 
county of Galway; 32 miles west-north-west of Galway. 
TVVE'LVEMONTH, s. [tpeolp-monS, Sax.] A year, 
as consisting of twelve months.—In the space of about a 
twelvemonth I have run out of a whole thousand pound 
upon her. Addison. 
TWE'LVEPENCE, s. A shilling. 
TWE'LVEPENNY, adj Sold for a shilling.—I -would 
wish no other revenge, from this ryming judge of the 
twelvepenny gallery. Dryden. 
TWE'LVESCORE, s. Twelve times twenty; two 
hundred and forty.— Twelvescore viragos of the Spartan 
race. Dryden. 
TWEMLOW, a township of Eugland, in Cheshire; 5f 
miles east-north-east of Middlewich. 
TWENTIETH, adj. [epeneeogofta. Sax.] Twice 
tenth; ordinal of twenty. 
Why was not I the twentieth by descent 
From a long restive race of droning kings ? Dryden. 
TWENTY, adj. [M. Goth, twaimtig; Sax. epentig; 
4 Goth., twa, twenne, et Icel., tugr, denarius numerus. 
Serenius.] Twice ten.—Hammond seldom did eat or drink 
more than once in twenty- four hours, and some fruit towards 
night. Fell. —A proverbial or indefinite number.—Max¬ 
imilian, upon twenty respects, could not have been the 
man. Bacon. 
TWENTY-FOUR RAJAS, a territory of Hindostan, si¬ 
tuated between the 28th and 30th degrees of north lat., 
which was formerly possessed by 24 petty chiefs, all of 
whom are now subject to Nepaul or the British. 
TWENTY-TWO RAJAHS, a district of the same na¬ 
ture as the above, formerly possessed by 22 petty chiefs, all 
now subject to Nepaul or the British. 
TWENTY-FOUR PERGUNNAS, a considerable district 
of Bengal, adjoining the southern limit of Calcutta. It has 
a judicial establishment of its own, the European members 
of which reside in Calcutta; and is subordinate to the 
court of appeal and circuit of Calcutta. Fulta and Bening- 
pore are the principal towns. 
TWI'BIL, 
