twiddle

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: twid=dle

CIDE DICTIONARY

twiddle, v. t. [Probably of imitative origin. Cf. Tweedle.].

 To touch lightly, or play with; to tweedle; to twirl; as, to twiddle one's thumbs; to twiddle a watch key.  Thackeray.  [1913 Webster]

twiddle, v. i. 

 To play with anything; hence, to be busy about trifles.  Halliwell.  [1913 Webster]

twiddle, n. 

•  A slight twist with the fingers.  [1913 Webster]
•  A pimple.  Halliwell.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

twiddle, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. & (foll. by with etc.) intr. twirl, adjust, or play randomly or idly.
2 intr. move twirlingly.
--n.
1 an act of twiddling.
2 a twirled mark or sign.

Idiom

twiddle one's thumbs
1 make them rotate round each other.
2 have nothing to do.

Derivative

twiddler n. twiddly adj.

Etymology

app. imit., after twirl, twist, and fiddle, piddle

THESAURUS

twiddle

babble, cackle, chat, chatter, come in contact, coquet, dabble, dally, do nothing, feel, feel of, fiddle, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fidget, fidget with, finger, finger with, flick, flirt, fool, fool around, fool with, fribble, frivol, gab, handle, horse around, idle, jerk off, juggle, kid around, loiter, manipulate, mess around, mess with, monkey, monkey around, monkey with, palm, palpate, paw, piddle, play, play around, play with, ply, poke at, potter, prattle, prod, putter, rattle, smatter, tap, thumb, tinker, touch, toy, toy with, trifle, twirl, waste time, wield, wiggle, yak

ROGET THESAURUS

twiddle

Touch

VB touch, feel, handle, finger, thumb, paw, fumble, grope, grabble, twiddle, tweedle, pass the fingers over, run the fingers over, manipulate, wield, throw out a feeler.