diddle
1[ did-l ]
/ ˈdɪd l /
verb (used with object), did·dled, did·dling.
Informal. to cheat; swindle; hoax.
Nearby words
didactyl, didactylism, didanosine, didapper, diddikai, diddle, diddley, diddley, bo, diddly, diddly-squat, diddlyshit
Origin of diddle
1First recorded in 1800–10; perhaps special use of diddle2
Related formsdid·dler, noun
Definition for diddler (2 of 2)
diddle
2[ did-l ]
/ ˈdɪd l /
verb (used without object), did·dled, did·dling.
Informal. to toy; fool (usually followed by with): The kids have been diddling with the controls on the television set again.
to waste time; dawdle (often followed by around): You would be finished by now if you hadn't spent the morning diddling around.
Informal. to move back and forth with short rapid motions.
verb (used with object), did·dled, did·dling.
Informal. to move back and forth with short rapid motions; jiggle: Diddle the switch and see if the light comes on.
Slang.
- to copulate with.
- to practice masturbation upon.
Origin of diddle
2Related formsdid·dler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for diddler
British Dictionary definitions for diddler (1 of 2)
Derived Formsdiddler, noun
Word Origin for diddle
C19: back formation from Jeremy Diddler, a scrounger in J. Kenney's farce Raising the Wind (1803)
British Dictionary definitions for diddler (2 of 2)
diddle
2/ (ˈdɪdəl) /
verb
dialect to jerk (an object) up and down or back and forth; shake rapidly
Word Origin for diddle
C17: probably variant of doderen to tremble, totter; see dodder 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for diddler
diddle
"to cheat, swindle," 1806, from dialectal duddle, diddle "to totter" (1630s). Meaning "waste time" is recorded from 1825. Meaning "to have sex with" is from 1879; that of "to masturbate" (especially of women) is from 1950s. More or less unrelated meanings that have gathered around a suggestive sound. Related: Diddled; diddling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper