Twatt is a settlement in the
Shetland Islands of
Scotland. It is located on the Shetland
Mainland on a minor road that leads from the A971 road to
Clousta, north of
Bixter. The settlement is within the parish of
Sandsting.
[1]
The settlement name originates from the
Old Norse þveit, meaning 'small parcel of land'. The Norse word commonly produces in England the place name element
Thwaite.
The name Twatt is similar to the common
English expletive "****," (a vulgar word for
vulva and also an insulting term meaning a weak or contemptible individual). For this reason, Twatt remains a source of amusement to people from outside the parish. Its name featured at no. 4 of the most vulgar sounding names in
Rude Britain, along with its
Orkney namesake.