truckle

American  

[truhk-uhl] / ˈtrʌk əl /

noun

1. truckle bed.

2. a pulley.

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verb (used without object)

truckled, truckling

1. to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely (usually followed byto ).

   Don't truckle to unreasonable demands.

   Synonyms:

   kowtow, concede, bow, grovel

truckle ¹ British  

/ ˈtrʌkəl /

noun

1. a small wheel; caster

2. a small barrel-shaped cheese

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verb

1. (intr) to roll on truckles

2. (tr) to push (a piece of furniture) along on truckles

truckle ² British  

/ ˈtrʌkəl /

verb

1. to yield weakly; give in

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• truckler
  noun
• trucklingly
  adverb
• untruckling
  adjective
• untruckled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of truckle

First recorded in 1375–1425 truckle for def. 2; truckle def. 1 was first recorded in 1630–40; truckle def. 3 in 1665–75; late Middle English noun trocle, trokel “sheave, roller,” from Anglo-French, from Latin trochlea; the verb is a special use of obsolete truckle “to sleep on a truckle bed” (because such beds were stored underneath a standard bed); see origin at trochlea

Explanation

A truckle is a trundle, a bed that tucks neatly underneath a higher bed. It's also a verb meaning to figuratively slide beneath, or submit to, the will of a more powerful person. If you're in thrall to a charismatic, famous, or fearsome person, you may find yourself tempted to truckle: in other words, to agree with whatever they say, yield to their opinions, and otherwise make yourself (metaphorically) smaller. The original 16th-century meaning of truckle was "small wheel," like the wheels on the bottom of a trundle — or truckle — bed. The figurative truckle, "to bend obsequiously to another person," emerged in the 1800s.

Example Sentences

According to Pratt’s analysis, quarter mile world record setter Truckle Feature had a peak speed of just under 80 feet per second, or 54 mph.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

On Shrove Monday Wiltshire kids went from door to door singing for a handout: Pray, dame, something, An apple or a dumpling, Or a piece of Truckle cheese Of your own making.

From The Complete Book of Cheese by Brown, Robert Carlton