twirly

comparative twirlier · superlative twirliest

1. Coiled or curly.

plural twirlies

1. IrelandUKderogatoryslangsometimesAn old age pensioner or other elderly person, especially one using public transport.

   I once had a twirly get on my bus, well I have had several hundred actually but that's beside the point!

   2007 May 14, Daisy Dart, “Re: Passengers say the stupidest things”, in Bus drivers canteen (Usenet), message-ID <1179173999.213616.59880@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>

   3 more examples

   Some passengers do try to use passes fraudulently and the time restriction on OAP passes can sometimes lead to arguments (the so-called "twirlies" — "Am I too early?") but seldom to assaults.

   1986, Working Group on Violence to Road Passenger Transport Staff, Assaults on bus staff and measures to prevent such assaults, HMSO, page 51

   These are a great hit with "Twirlies" (senior citizens, infamous for using their bus passes "too-early" before rush hour fades).

   1986, Rick Steves, Great Britain in 22 days: a step-by-step guide and travel itinerary, →ISBN, page 52

   He'd been so desperate to go to the toilet that he'd parked the bus, locked the twirlies on it and run through the gully home!

   2008, Maureen Harvey, “5 The Breakthrough”, in Pure Evil - How Tracie Andrews murdered my son, deceived the nation and sentenced me to a life of pain and misery, →ISBN

   Synonyms: coffin dodger, geriatric, senior citizen