different between dawdle vs daddle

English

Etymology

First attested around 1656; variant of daddle (“to walk unsteadily”), perhaps influenced by daw, since the bird was regarded as sluggish and silly. Not in general use until around 1775. Compare also German daddeln (“to play”), German verdaddeln (“to waste (time), neglect, ruin”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d??d?l/
• Rhymes: -??d?l
• Homophone: doddle (in accents with the cot-caught merger)

Verb

dawdle (third-person singular simple present dawdles, present participle dawdling, simple past and past participle dawdled)

1. (intransitive) To spend time idly and unfruitfully; to waste time.
2. (transitive) To spend (time) without haste or purpose.

3. (intransitive) To move or walk lackadaisically.

Translations

See also

• dally, dander, dandle, diddle, loaf, piddle, wander, doodle

Noun

dawdle (plural dawdles)

1. A dawdler.
   • 1766, George Colman the Elder and David Garrick, The Clandestine Marriage, Act I, page 13

     Where is this dawdle of a housekeeper?

2. A slow walk, journey.
3. An easily accomplished task; a doddle.

Anagrams

• Dewald, Waddle, dwaled, waddle, walded

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?dæd??/

Etymology 1

Probably dade +? -le.

Verb

daddle (third-person singular simple present daddles, present participle daddling, simple past and past participle daddled)

1. (intransitive, archaic or dialectal) To walk unsteadily; totter; dawdle
   • 1869, Thomas Collins, The life of the rev. Thos. Collins

     I had to wait an hour at the station for the coming of his train. It was passed pleasantly in reading, ' The Victory Won,' an interesting narrative of the salvation of a sceptical physician. When uncle arrived, he and I daddled along a pretty narrow lane.

2. To diddle (cheat)
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

     "Thunder!" he cried. "A week! I can't do that; they'd have the black spot on me by then. The lubbers is going about to get the wind of me this blessed moment; lubbers as couldn't keep what they got, and want to nail what is another's. Is that seamanly behavior, now, I want to know? But I'm a saving soul. I never wasted good money of mine, nor lost it neither; and I'll trick 'em again. I'm not afraid on 'em. I'll shake out another reef, matey, and daddle 'em again."

Etymology 2

Noun

daddle (plural daddles)

1. (slang, obsolete) The hand or fist; used in the phrase "tip us your daddle" meaning "give me your hand".

Derived terms

• diddle-daddle
• tip the daddle

Anagrams

• addled