different between toddle vs skedaddle

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?d?l

Etymology

Of unknown origin. Possibly a byform of totter.

Verb

toddle (third-person singular simple present toddles, present participle toddling, simple past and past participle toddled)

1. To walk unsteadily, as a small child does.
2. To walk in a carefree manner.

   There he was, just toddling along.

Synonyms

• totter

Derived terms

• toddler
• toddle off

Translations

Noun

toddle (plural toddles)

1. A carefree or aimless gait; a stroll.

References

Anagrams

• dolted

English

Etymology

19th century US - dramatically appearing and gaining prominence in Civil War military contexts around 1861, and rapidly passing into more general use. Possibly an alteration of British dialect scaddle (“to run off in a fright”), from the adjective scaddle (“wild, timid, skittish”), from Middle English scathel, skadylle (“harmful, fierce, wild”), perhaps of North Germanic/Scandinavian origin, from Old Norse *sköþull; or from Old English *scaþol, *sceaþol (see scathel); akin to Old Norse skaði (“harm”).

Possibly related to the Ancient Greek ???????? (skédasis, “scattering”), ????????? (skedasmós, “dispersion”). Possibly related to scud or scat.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /sk??dæd?l/
• Rhymes: -æd?l

Verb

skedaddle (third-person singular simple present skedaddles, present participle skedaddling, simple past and past participle skedaddled)

1. (informal, intransitive, US) To move or run away quickly.
   • 1975, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift [Avon ed., 1976, pl. 122]:

     Then filled with inspiration he drove in his Buick, the busted muffler blasting in the country lanes and the great long car skedaddling dangerously on the curves. Lucky for the woodchucks they were already hibernating.
2. (transitive, regional) To spill; to scatter.

Synonyms

• (move or run away quickly): flee, vamoose, scat, take off, make tracks, get lost, kick rocks, hightail; see also Thesaurus:move quickly, Thesaurus:rush or Thesaurus:flee

Translations

Noun

skedaddle (plural skedaddles)

1. (informal) The act of running away; a scurrying off.

Translations

See also

• Appendix:Fanciful 19th century American coinages

References

• 1897, Hunter, Robert, and Charles Morris, editors, Universal Dictionary of the English Language, v4, p4291: "Etym. doubtful; perhaps allied to scud. To betake one's self hurriedly to flight; to run away as in a panic; to fly in terror. (A word of American origin.)"
• Michael Quinion (7 February 2004) , “Skedaddle”, in World Wide Words