Little jerk not quite recalling quote (3)

I believe the answer is:

tic

'little jerk' is the definition.

I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for tic that I've seen before include "Nervous response" , "Fuel oil" , "Muscle twitch" , "Convulsive twitch (of face)" , "Muscular contraction" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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