What's a whit, anyway?

“Are you whit me or against me?” – Tony Soprano

It is this:

whit

–noun
a particle; bit; jot (used esp. in negative phrases): not a whit better.

I don’t have anything else constructive to add to my boring answer. Sorry. =(

Half of a smidgen or three-sixteenths of a bit. I think a whit is approximately equal to two shits.

If you’re getting married during the recession, any day can look like a nice day for a whit wedding.

@laureth…you should be ashamed…and that’s coming from me…

One-millionth of an oodle.

Thank you for the question. I find the other comments to be very amusing. I don’t care a whit that this whole exchange is <gasp> social in nature.

The old English word “whit” means spirit or living creature, so it may be similar to saying who cares.

How interesting, @Yarnlady! It’s related to “wight.” I had never thought to look up this word before. I am always fascinated by the dimension that etymology adds to the comprehension of a word. GQ, @daloon.

wight
–noun
1. a human being.
2. Obsolete.
a. a supernatural being, as a witch or sprite.
b. any living being; a creature.

Perhaps the expression came about by way of saying something like “not even to the extent of a wraith or ghost of itself”—i.e., to a very thin and insubstantial extent indeed.

It’s not just social any more.

@Yarnlady In no way is this even within a whit of being a social question, and I’ll fight anyone to the death who says it is!

Uppity new people, think they can horn in on my scams?!? They got another think coming!!!

@daloon thank you, I’ll see that think and raise you one.

So I guess we’re not talking about being whitty here are we?

I was confused

I thought it was a wood shaving left over from Whittling.

Good one, @aviona. Lurve.

@aviona If you keep on making puns like that, I’ll say to hell whit you!

Do you want that steak whit or whit-out? and if you have to ask “whit what?” then there ain’t no hope for you.

;) I’m a whittle wise guy

@daloon
There was a man from Brussels to whit:
who hated the seats in the train where he’d sit
so he moved to another car,
the one with the big star
where he found bunches of twits,
without any wit and knowing sh*t.

I’ll go whit you to hunt wabbits.

Walt Whitman was a great poet who liked to masturbate alot.

@Blondesjon: that got an out loud “oh God!” from me. Lurve!