Etymology From the stage name Little Tich; see tich. Attested since the 1880s. Possibly also from, or influenced by, a word from Old English ticcen (“young goat”).
1
UK, Colloquial A very small person; a small child.
I ain't afraid of a titch like you.
We called him Titch because he was a tiny little man, and he had a mop of black hair.1995, Philip Mitchell, One Moonlit Night, translation of Un Nos Ola Leuad by Caradog Prichard, page 106:
Vur Bob eszul wis awful titch'd An went jist like a hoss a witch'd.1865, Nathan Hogg, Poetical Letters, page 63:
There was some sort of affray between you and Flood. The constables separated you. What led to this? […] I titched Noah and Noah titched me and my hat falled off.1894, Sabine Baring-Gould, Kitty Alone, page 120:
titch
noun
Etymology From Middle English techen, tüchen, variant or dialectal forms of Middle English touchen (“to touch”).
“...and just a titch of my special pepper sauce over these turnip greens, everybody loves turnip greens.”1988, Howard Lewis Russell, Rush to Nowhere, page 148:
titch
verb
Etymology Variant or colloquial pronunciation of teach.
“yass, dass all right: but how we know you titch English? Nobody can’t tell you titchin’ him right or no.”1888, George Washington Cable, Bonaventure, page 114: