Sidles

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To move sideways in a quiet or sneaky manner, often to avoid attention
2. Shifts the body or steps sideways silently, usually trying to be unobtrusive
3. Glides along to one side cautiously and quietly, as if seeking to remain unnoticed

Etymology: "Sidles" is the third-person singular present form of "sidle," so it simply describes someone or something moving sideways in a quiet, unobtrusive way. The verb is built from "side" plus the suffix "-le," a frequentative ending that signals repeated or continued action, as in "wrestle" or "dazzle." The "-le" ending often marks movement done in small, repeated steps, which suits the image of edging along. The verb may also be a back-formation from "sideling," an older adverb meaning "in a sidelong direction; askew, obliquely." Speakers apparently treated "sideling" as if it were the present participle of a verb "sidle," and the verb was then created from it. The noun "sidle" was later derived from the verb.

Synonyms: sneaks, creeps, slips

Antonyms: marches, stomps