![]() ![]() "If we got it, the Mail will get it soon. Shepherd Novel (2016)-where it appears to rather ludicrous effect: The wordplay here seems limited to tough and tufted.Ī Google search turns up very few published instances of "tough titmouse," including just one in a book-in Kieran Crowley, Shoot: An F.X. Instead, it focuses on the persistent aggressive behavior of a male tufted titmouse that lived near her house and spent months challenging mirror images of itself in her house's windows and her car's side mirrors and chrome trim. "Tough titmouse" is thus somewhat similar to the expression "tough snot"-which is a poorly disguised euphemism for the cruder but equally dismissive "tough shit." (In Texas in the 1960s, "tough snot" was fairly popular among English speakers in the 10-to-13-year-old cohort: it was rude enough to please a sixth-grader dismissing a peer's concerns or objections, without incurring the full wrath of any adult who might overhear.) The main difference is that "tough titmouse" is a bit cleverer because of its play on " tufted titmouse," a chickadee-like bird that lives in much the eastern half of the United States (and a bit of southeastern Canada).ĭianne Porter, a blogger at posted an item called " Tough Titmouse" back in 2006, but her post seems to have nothing to do with the euphemism used in The Good Doctor. Presumably, the foster mother in The Good Doctor settled on "tough titmouse" as being more presentable than "tough titties," which, as Jason Bassford points out in a comment above, is (or was) a fairly common rude dismissive remark in parts of North America. ![]() In each of these instances, "tough titmouse" doesn't allude to a proverb or other cultural back story involving a tufted (or any other species of) titmouse it is just a quasi-euphemism for a cruder expression that is itself simply a dismissive expostulation. You can view the third instance noted above in a brief Facebook video excerpt, but be prepared for community-theater-level dramatic acting. Shaun remembers moving out of his foster home, admitting he is scared to leave and she tells him, “ tough titmouse!’ After he leaves, his foster mom tears up. Nicole explains to Max what is going to happen, as Melendez and Alex find it difficult to watch. Melendez feels she will find the strength to keep going. Shaun tells her, “ tough tit mouse!” Shaun is able to tell Nicole that he won’t hate her, he will just be scared. Shaun remembers the moment his foster mom tells him, he has to move out because she is very sick. She insists Max has never hurt anyone, but when she sees the bruise on Shaun’s face, Alex says she needs to find a place for Max and there is no shame in finding help for her and Max. Nicole learns her wounds will heal, but Alex tells her they know Max caused her injury. Shaun flashes back to his foster home, where his foster mom used the term “ tough titmouse” and told him to get dressed and he’s going to go to school and face the horse’s ass! ![]() Outside, Max apologizes to Shaun for hitting him and they talk about what do they think about when they are scared. Lim, trying to figure out what is best for Kitty. The psychiatrist meets with Claire, Morgan and Dr. ![]() A recap of the episode on indicates that the expression was used in a character's foster family, twice by the foster mother and once by the foster son: Internet searches for "tough titmouse" produce very little of substance aside from discussions of episode 4 of season 2 of The Good Doctor, which is titled "Tough Titmouse" and initially aired on October 15, 2018. ![]()
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