Origin of "twat"

[nq:1]I've tried to look up the etymology of the four-letter word "****", but all I find is "origin obscure". Could ... merely speculating, as I seem to have a load of free time on my hands right now.) jf maho[/nq]
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If that's the direction of your thinking it probably is a different load on your hands, get s napkin.

In "Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)" (1), I now find this:

Origin: 1650-60; perh. orig. dial. var. of *thwat, *thwot, presumed mod. E outcome of OE *thwat, akin to ON thveit cut, slit, forest clearing (> E dial. (N England) thwaite forest clearing)
I suppose that sounds more reasonable than Tuat, especially if the usage dates to the 1600s.
However, the earliest reference I

[nq:1]In "Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)" (1), I now find this: Origin: 1650-60; perh. orig. dial. var. of *thwat, *thwot, presumed ... have access to the web version of OED, so I can't check if that really is the earliest known use.[/nq]
OED's early cites are:
1. (See quot. 1727.)Erroneously used (after quot. 1660) by Browning Pippa Passes iv. ii. 96 under the impression that it deno

[nq:1]OED's early cites are:[/nq]
Thanks!
Now I'm curious about the form "twait":
[nq:1]1711 IV. 182 A dang'rous Street, Where Stones and Twaits in frosty Winters meet.[/nq]
That's not used in modern-day English, is it? Or is it a word-play on something I'm ignorant about?

jf maho

In the UK I these days I often hear & see the word '****' used as a variant of 'twit', signifying a mildly ridiculous (usually male) person. However, potentially dangerously, it is also synonymous with '******'. A girlfriend once told me that chlorine in swimming pool water often gave her a 'sore ****'. I have seen the variants 'twot', and 'twotty' in readers letters to Fiesta magazine.

A