Tweedles

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Plays a thin, trilling tune on a pipe or whistle ; fiddles idly or turns something over and over in one's fingers
2. Sounds a light, high-pitched melody on a small wind instrument ; twiddles or toys with an object in a restless way
3. Whistles or pipes a bright, warbling air on a simple instrument ; fidgets with or idly twirls something held in the hands

Etymology: "Tweedles" is the third-person singular form of "tweedle," a verb meaning to play a musical instrument, especially a flute or pipe, in a light, trilling way. The verb is imitative, meaning it was formed to echo the sound it describes, the thin, warbling notes of a whistle or pipe. Its origin is probably tangled up with "wheedle," the older verb for coaxing someone with soft words. The two may have blended in sound and sense, so that "tweedle" picked up a faint suggestion of sweet, wheedling persuasion alongside its musical one. Related imitative words such as "teedle," "toodle," and "twiddle" share the same playful, sound-driven shape.

Synonyms: twiddle, fiddle