Letched vs Tetched - What's the difference?
letched | tetched |
(letch)
(archaic) Strong desire; passion.
(informal) Someone with an overly strong sexual desire.
A stream or pool in boggy land.
(chiefly, US, colloquial) Touched: mildly deranged, somewhat mentally dysfunctional.
* 1889 , , Queen Hildegarde , ch. 9:
* 1959 April 21, , "
* 1982 Sep. 27, , "
(chiefly, US, colloquial) Touched: physically contacted, impacted, or handled.
* 1899 , , "Dick Spindler's Family Christmas" in Mr. Jack Hamlin's Mediation and Other Stories :
* , "The Reformation Of Calliope":
As a verb letched
is (letch).As an adjective tetched is
(chiefly|us|colloquial) touched: mildly deranged, somewhat mentally dysfunctional.letched
English
Verb
(head)letch
English
Alternative forms
* lechEtymology 1
See (lech), (lecher).Noun
(es)- Some people have a letch for unmasking impostors, or for avenging the wrongs of others. — De Quincey.
Etymology 2
From loec'' - later ''lache'', variant ''letch - for example Sandy's Letch located east of Annitsford in Northumberland.Noun
(es)Etymology 3
Noun
(es)tetched
English
Alternative forms
* techedAdjective
(en adjective)- "His mind was as keen as a razor, an' as straight-edged, 'xcept jest on one subject. On that he was, so to say, a little—wal—a little tetched ."
Oh Why Can't He See 'Dawn's Early Light'?, St. Petersburg Times (USA) (retrieved 26 June 2012):
- Just because he has trouble with the last verse of the Star Spangled Banner doesn't mean he's tetched . Maybe he has a mental block because you've been hammering him over the skull for three years about it.
Books Of The Times]" (review of Goosefoot'' by [[w:Patrick McGinley, Patrick McGinley]), ''New York Times (retrieved 26 June 2012):
- There's a murderer about, but how can you spot him when everyone is moon-tetched ?
- "They ain't bin tetched or handled by any one but the Kempany's agents."
- "That bullet never tetched ye!"