Do you remember the episode of “Friends” when Phoebe shows Rachel her frantic, exaggerated running style? Think of that as an example of tittupping. “Tittup” is a verb coined in the early 18th century to denote the specific sound a horse makes when moving between a canter (a controlled three-beat gait) and a gallop (a faster, four-beat variation of the same gait). Toward the end of the century, people began to use “tittup” in reference to those who moved in an exaggerated fashion. The verb fell out of fashion as horses became a less-favored mode of transportation, but keep it in mind today for any exaggerated, jerky movements.