Tourette's is defined as the presence of both physical tics and verbal tics, not controllable, which generally increase with stress level. One or the other kind of tic is not enough. A physical tic is something like eye-blinking or nose-rubbing, a verbal tic is something like sniffing or throat-clearing.
Paying attention to the tics and attempting to "control" them, if it is Tourette's, will not help. That only increases stress, and stress is what causes the tics to manifest. Doing relaxation practices or becoming deeply absorbed in an activity makes the tics go away (momentarily), and finding ways to de-stress life makes them subside on a more regular basis.
Tourette's almost always is seen in childhood, usually in boys, and fades over time toward adulthood. It's also usually pretty mild. It would be pretty rare to develop it suddenly in adulthood when it was never seen before.
My oldest son has Tourette's, fairly mild. Tourette's is also often seen in combination with OCD behaviors, such as needing to touch an object with the left hand also after having just touched it with the right hand. It can have an effect on impulsivity as well--people with Tourette's seem to have general control issues with emotions and can have outbursts.
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