worrit

plural worrits

1. countabledialectalnonstandarduncountableWorry; anxiety.

   Them hunting and fishing things, if it was nothing else, puts Mr. Saunders and John in a continual worrit, special when there's gentlemen coming that don't bring a vally — and half the gentlemen here don't.

   1891, Margaret Oliphant, The Heir Presumptive and the Heir Apparent, published 2009, page 113

   1 more example

   "Where have you been, you young monkey?" said Mrs. Joe, stamping her foot. "Tell me directly what you’ve been doing to wear me away with fret and fright and worrit, or I’d have you out of that corner if you was fifty Pips, and he was five hundred Gargerys."

   1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, Great Expectations […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 15

2. countabledialectalnonstandarduncountableOne who worries excessively or unnecessarily.

present singular third person worrits · participle present worriting · participle past worrited · past worrited

1. dialectalnonstandardtransitiveTo cause (someone) to be anxious; to worry.

   I dinna wish to worrit myself about ye running off to the nunnery or wi' another man.

   2010, Amanda Forester, The Highlander’s Sword, page 169

   2 more examples

   “Yes; don't worrit your poor mother,” said Mrs. Sanders. “She's quite enough to worrit her, as it is, without you, Tommy,” said Mrs. Cluppins, with sympathising resignation.

   1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter XXVI, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC, page 271

   'Och, it's you, is it, Mr Kilmartin? Wherever have ye been? The young lady was fair worrit to death when ye didna come home.'

   1940, Hammond Innes, The Trojan Horse, published 2012, unnumbered page

2. dialectalintransitivenonstandardTo be anxious; to worry.

   I'd best be turning for home. Mrs. Maggot will be worriting with the night getting thick.

   1954 July 29, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, London: George Allen & Unwin, →OCLC

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   Well Sir, would you believe it, there’s that in Mr Pontifex’s face which is just like young Watkins; he looks that worrited and scrunched up at times, but it’s never for the same reason, […]

   1873–1884 (date written), Samuel Butler, edited by R[ichard] A[lexander] Streatfeild, The Way of All Flesh, London: Grant Richards, published 1903, →OCLC

comparative more worrit · superlative most worrit

1. dialectalnonstandardWorried.

   An' every day Chinook Bill got more an' more worrit an' turrible reticent.

   1906, Robert Love Taylor, John Trotwood Moore, Thornwell Jacobs, editors, The Taylor-Trotwood Magazine, volumes 3-4, page 641

   2 more examples

   'She's gey sickly, but more worrit that she should be sick at all than by whatever it is itself.'

   1926, Marshall Newton Goold, Heather Heretics, page 204

   “I don' think Dallen'd let me break m'neck,” Mags pointed out. “I'd be more worrit about them as is on foot or reg'lar horses.”

   2010, Mercedes Lackey, Intrigues, published 2012, unnumbered page