sidle
/ˈsaɪdəl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.00 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To (cause something to) move sideways.
verb
In the intransitive sense often followed by up: to (cause something to) advance in a coy, furtive, or unobtrusive manner.
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "[F]rom the circle of delighted auditors listening to the gentillesses of the pink cockatoo, who was sidling on his stand in the sunshine, a whole party of the Beresfords caught sight of me, and in a minute I was surrounded; [...]"
- "The mare never moved; but after immense weight had been placed on both, the horse began to sidle, and before the last bag could be put on him, he sunk on his knees; it was put on the mare, and she bore it, never moving her posture until she was unloaded."
- "You could drive a band of hosses up the steepest kind of hill but nobody that I ever knowed could drive a bunch straight down (that goes with cows, too)—they'd sidle it every time."
- "There was one little prim old lady, of very smiling and good-humoured appearance, who came sidling up to me from the end of a long passage, [...]"
- "A small lad, with a large head and faded yellow hair, sidles up to you, and says something about "Ing'n work," or "Cur'osities," or "Cam'ra 'bscura," or "Guide." You give some sharp, quick answer; the small boy collapses and vanishes."
- "A sharper sidleth up to him, / "Why bettest thou not?" saith he. / For a moment's space the stranger's face / Was a wondrous thing to see."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsaɪdəl/
- British English: /ˈsaɪdl/