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doddle

American  
[dod-l] / ˈdɒd l /

noun

Chiefly British Informal.
  1. something easily done, fixed, etc..

    He was really worried about my finishing the fence repairs on my own, but it was a doddle.


doddle British  
/ ˈdɒdəl /

noun

  1. informal something easily accomplished

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of doddle

First recorded in 1935–40; of uncertain origin, perhaps from toddle ( def. )


Explanation

The word doddle describes a task that's so easy, it hardly feels like work. It's the kind of thing you can do without even thinking, like hanging up your coat or pouring a glass of water. The noun doddle has its roots in 20th-century British slang. If someone says something is a doddle, they're telling you it will require very little effort. A doddle typically involves no stress and no hassle because it is just a quick and simple job. The term is often used to express how effortlessly a task can be completed, making it a handy word for those moments when something is almost too easy.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

When Root and Brook were together, 200 runs to win seemed like a doddle.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2025

Almost as impressive was the way Knight, working discreetly off-Broadway in Deborah Grimberg’s largely forgettable “Cycling Past the Matterhorn,” endowed a playwriting doddle with intricate layers of felt experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2020

After more than five decades of touring, performing like this must feel like a doddle?

From The Guardian ● Mar. 23, 2020

Coping with climate change may seem daunting, but it’s a doddle compared to terraforming Mars.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 17, 2018

Translating's half poem and half crossword and no doddle.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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