Country measure talk for a small amount. You add a touch of salt, a touch of vinegar to the beans, or catch a touch of fever. It is not exact. Related porch words are mite, tad, and titch (or older tetch). Works for cooking, weather, and how somebody feels.
How folks use it
“Them beans need a touch of pepper.”
“He's got a touch of the flu, nothing serious.”
Origin and etymology
English sense of a light contact grew into "a small amount." Southern speech kept it as everyday kitchen and health talk. DARE notes tetch as a Southern pronunciation of touch in phrases like "just a tetch of rheumatiz," which many mouths now say as titch.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a touch?
Just a little. Enough to taste or notice, not enough to dump in.
Meaning
How folks use it
Origin and etymology
Frequently asked questions