piddle

== English == === Alternative forms === piddel, pidle (obsolete) === Etymology === Unknown. Compare regional German piddlen, pitteln, pütteln, pühteln (“to pick at something, pick at one's food”), dialectal German Pitzel (“small effort, small task”). Alternatively, perhaps originally from paw or put + -le (suffix forming verbs involving continuous or repeated movement). In later use, a euphemistic diminutive of piss, though not directly related to it. The noun derives from the verb. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɪd.l̩/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈpɪdəl/, /ˈpɪd.l̩/ Rhymes: -ɪdl, -ɪdəl === Noun === piddle (plural piddles) (UK, Australia, euphemistic slang) Piss: urine. (UK, Australia, euphemistic slang) A piss: an act of urination. (UK, figurative) Nonsense or a trivial matter. 1910 March 2, Rupert Brooke, letter: It's the alteration of the little words that makes all the difference between Poetry & piddle. ==== Synonyms ==== (urine): widdle, see also Thesaurus:urine (urination): widdle, see also Thesaurus:urination === Verb === piddle (third-person singular simple present piddles, present participle piddling, simple past and past participle piddled) (intransitive) (Often followed by about or around): to act or work ineffectually and wastefully. (intransitive, obsolete) Synonym of peck: to attack or eat with a beak. (intransitive, now Southern US, often with 'with') Synonym of nibble: to pick at or toy with one's food, to eat slowly or insubstantially. 2000 May 9, Myrtle Beach Sun-News, Sect. A, p. 1: As about seven seniors quietly eat meat patties, mashed potatoes and canned peaches, Newberry piddles with the food. (UK, Australia, South Africa, Namibia, euphemistic slang, intransitive or reflexive) To urinate. 1784, cited in Catalogue of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum, Vol. VI, p. 128: Ha, ha, ha, Paddy shit in his breaches, ha, ha, ha, I shall laugh till I piddle myself. ==== Synonyms ==== (urinate): widdle, see also Thesaurus:urinate ==== Related terms ==== pightle widdle ==== Translations ==== === Derived terms === === References === “piddle, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. “piddle, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.