The current form witht- /t/ rather than etymologically-expectedth- /θ/ arose in Middle English under the influence of the etymologically-unrelated verbstighten andtight.
The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in atight bandage of tissue.[…].
The only negative from a comfortable first-half was the sight of Aston Villa’s Nathan Delfouneso being withdrawn with atight hamstring after only 11 minutes.
2011 July 25, Don Peck, “Can the Middle Class Be Saved?”, inThe Atlantic[1]:
Global supply chains, meanwhile, have grown bothtighter and more supple since the late 1990s—the result of improving information technology and of freer trade—making routine work easier to relocate.
China’s currency, thejenminpi, has remained stable; the Chinese assert that it is the "world’s most stable currency." This is generally conceded to be the result of the care with which the Chinese economy and itstight budget are managed.
(of a space, design or arrangement)Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
The passageway was sotight we could barely get through.
They flew in atight formation.
2020 September 5, David Hytner, “Raheem Sterling keeps his cool to see off Iceland amid blaze of late drama”, inThe Guardian[3]:
England squeezed high and dominated the ball, penning Iceland back but the hosts kept the linestight and it became clear that England would have to work for their openings.
Fitting close, or too close, to the body.
tight clothing; atight coat; My socks are tootight.
Of a turn, sharp, so that the timeframe for making it is narrow and following it is difficult.
The mountain pass was made dangerous by its manytight corners.
Security istight inside and outside the building, guarded by a bewildering collection of soldiers, policemen and gendarmes. Relatives watch as prisoners in handcuffs and leg irons shuffle past.
The odd thing was that Sunderland made the better start and showed early signs that they might pose serious problems to the Premier League’stightest defence.
Reilly: Ey, Miss, hang on, hang on... can we come with y', Miss? Can we? Digga: Go on, Miss, don't betight, let's come.
2001, Kevin Sampson,Outlaws, page244:
"Ah leave him, ay!" goes one of the girls. "Don't betight." I turns to her. "Don't you think it'stight terrorising old ladies? Ay?"
2011, Andrew Hicks,Thai Girl: A story of the one who said 'no', unnumbered page:
"That's right ... so even when life's a grind, the Thais keep smiling. They think thefarang are a miserable lot who have to get drunk to enjoy themselves." "Dutch, that'stight mate, I mean what's wrong with getting pissed. When you're not working, you gotta have a good time," said Darren.
(of time) Limited or restricted.
We had a verytight schedule.
2022 January 12, Paul Bigland, “Fab Four: the nation's finest stations: Eastbourne”, inRAIL, number948, page26:
It is kept super-clean by helpful staff who still find the time to help customers withtight connections.
“Atight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. ¶ Near her wandered her husband[…]from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
2008 July 2, Linda Mi-Suk Enos,The Korean Palace of Honolulu Revised (6x9), Lulu.com,→ISBN, page222:
She was muchtighter than he thought she would be. It had been a while since she had anything but oral sex she had an adrenaline rush as she heart began to pound.
2014 August 26, Agnieszka Roeske,Not the One for Her, Page Publishing Inc,→ISBN:
She was verytight and wet at the same time. He never had sex with a maiden before.
2021, Brandon Varnell,WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 8, Kitsune Incorporated,→ISBN:
One thing I noticed was that she was muchtighter than Kari. She was sotight, in fact, that entering her was initially painful.
1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 2 Dated or archaic. 3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
