From the poem "The Free-Selector's Daughter" (emphasis mine)
I broke my pipe and burnt my twist,
And washed my mouth with water;
I had a shave before I kissed
The free-selector's daughter.
In this context, what would twist mean?
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2Twist=Tobacco, here– NVZ ♦May 26, 2016 at 7:46
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2To expand on @NVZ's comment, it's a reference to chewing tobacco, specifically, which is twisted into a crude "rope" before selling, hence "twist of tobacco".– Max WilliamsMay 26, 2016 at 7:48
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1Fascinating! I have never heard of that use of twist before. Do you know how it originated?– OreoMay 26, 2016 at 7:48
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1 Answer
It's the tobacco pipe mentioned here. — TFD
noun a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
Twist, refers to tobacco. — M-W
1.d. tobacco leaves twisted into a thick roll
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Almost certainly, yes, especially since "twist" tobacco is suitable for chewing or smoking in a pipe (according to that wikipedia page). May 26, 2016 at 7:50
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@Oreo I suppose, he literally broke the pipe and burnt away the tobacco instead of smoking them, in order to kiss the girl. He even shaved for the kiss. It could also mean something different, but discussing lyric interpretation here will be off-topic.– NVZ ♦May 26, 2016 at 7:59