twerp
nounUS /twɝp/ · UK /twɜːp/
Etymology Of uncertain origin; originally British slang of the 1910s. In a letter, dated 6 October 1944, J. R. R. Tolkien mentions a contemporary of his at Oxford University T.W. Earp, calling him "the original twerp"; but no corroborating evidence for this etymology has come to light. Other suggestions include: a clipping of Antwerp (“type of racing pigeon that flew between Antwerp and London”); the onomatopoeic twirp (“imitation of the sound of a bird”); a dialectal variant of dwarf (compare Middle English dwerf); Welsh twp (“a fool”).
UK, Colloquial A fool, a twit.
- Now you've broken it, you twerp!
- There's many an airman just finishin' his time. There's many a twerp signing on.1940, Fred Godfrey, “Bless 'Em All”performed by George Formby:
US, Childish, Colloquial A small or puny person; one regarded as insignificant, contemptible.
- Get out of my way, you little twerp!
US, Childish, Colloquial A person who can be bullied playfully, or easily teased. Sometimes used as a pet-name (often for a younger sibling).