dial. [f. TWITCH sb.2] intr. To gather and destroy twitch or couch-grass; also trans. to clean (land) from twitch. Hence Twitching vbl. sb.
1795. Gentl. Mag., Aug., 695/1. At Beighton, Derbyshire,… a respectable farmer was killed by lightning, as he was twitching in his land.
1799. A. Young, Agric. Lincoln., 398. Women … are employed in … picking up twitch to burn,… for twitching and weeding, they have, upon an average, 9d. per day.
1865. Pall Mall G., 13 May, 2. They are employed in weeding, twitching, hoeing, and various other kinds of agricultural labour.
1886. S.-W. Linc. Gloss., s.v., I must twitch and do my land for wheat.
