Hi Adele A twerp was always used as a mild name for someone a little silly or who had done something foolish OED has it in rather stronger terms but I would not recognise its use in that form or at east only the last description (another word we don't hear much these days :-) twerp, n. Forms: Also twirp. Etymology: Of uncertain origin. See quots. 1944, 1957; T. W. Earp of Exeter College, Oxford, matriculated in Michaelmas Term, 1911.... slang. A despicable or objectionable person; an insignificant person, a nobody; a nincompoop. Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) > Don't you just love the old fashioned sayings!!! Proverbs too, bet the > school children off today wouldn't know about either. I am trying to think > what my late father used to call his daughters.. bet I remember as soon as I > send this message! . no here is comes, TWERPS.. now what does this mean > please!!! > > > > Thanks. > > > > Adele

I mind it being stronger, but up here in the chilly north it would most likely be preceded by 'right' in order to strengthen it.  a right eejit!  a right twerp!  a right twit!  if it's a dad saying it, i'd imagine it being relatively mild.  maybe if a kiddy had dropped and smashed a cup or something relatively harmless, or even had only been behaving in a perfectly reasonably childish manner  :-).  eejit and twit are the commonest forms up here, but both meaning, 'nincompoop'.  I never, personally, heard it used to describe an objectionable or insignificant person but it may vary from one locality to another There's a range of interesting books on proverbs and sayings, but they're mostly general British or Gaelic; it'd be really interesting to come on one produced from a specific county or locality.  They'd vary; a lot of these old saying came out of industry, craft, trade, weather, &c, so you might get a totally different flavour of the culture between one area and another.  It would certainly make interesting reading. Fionnghal ___________________________ A twerp was always used as a mild name for someone a little silly or who had done something foolish OED has it in rather stronger terms but I would not recognise its use in that form or at east only the last description (another word we don't hear much these days :-) twerp, n. Forms:  Also twirp. Etymology:  Of uncertain origin. See quots. 1944, 1957; T. W. Earp of Exeter College, Oxford, matriculated in Michaelmas Term, 1911.... slang. A despicable or objectionable person; an insignificant person, a nobody; a nincompoop. Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) _____ > Don't you just love the old fashioned sayings!!! Proverbs too, bet the > school children off today wouldn't know about either. I am trying to think > what my late father used to call his daughters.. bet I remember as soon as I > send this message! . no here is comes,  TWERPS.. now what does this mean > please!!!