From the stage name Little Tich; see tich. Attested since the 1880s. Possibly also from, or influenced by, a word from Old English ticcen (“young goat”).
Meanings
(UK, colloquial) A very small person; a small child.
I ain't afraid of a titch like you.
We called him Titch because he was a tiny little man, and he had a mop of black hair. 1995, Philip Mitchell, One Moonlit Night, translation of Un Nos Ola Leuad by Caradog Prichard, page 106:
From Middle English techen, tüchen, variant or dialectal forms of Middle English touchen (“to touch”).
Meanings
(colloquial) A small amount of something.
“...and just a titch of my special pepper sauce over these turnip greens, everybody loves turnip greens.” 1988, Howard Lewis Russell, Rush to Nowhere, page 148:
Vur Bob eszul wis awful titch'd
An went jist like a hoss a witch'd. 1865, Nathan Hogg, Poetical Letters, page 63:
There was some sort of affray between you and Flood. The constables separated you. What led to this?
[…] I titched Noah and Noah titched me and my hat falled off. 1894, Sabine Baring-Gould, Kitty Alone, page 120:
“yass, dass all right: but how we know you titch English? Nobody can’t tell you titchin’ him right or no.” 1888, George Washington Cable, Bonaventure, page 114: