Definition of twiddle in English:

twiddle

verb ˈtwɪd(ə)lˈtwɪdl

[with object]

1Twist, move, or fiddle with (something), typically in a purposeless or nervous way.
（尤指无聊或紧张地）旋弄，捻弄，摆弄
she twiddled the dials on the radio
她无聊地旋弄着收音机上的调谐盘。
no object he began twiddling with the curtain cord
他开始不安地捻弄窗帘绳。
Example sentencesExamples
- It was enough to leave reporters twiddling their pens, looking for answers, perhaps from a higher source.
- We are on the balls of our feet, like tennis players awaiting service, anxiously twiddling our sticks.
- ‘This is what I normally do,’ he says, twiddling his locks to show the effect he's after.
- My dad started, twiddling his fingers nervously.
- He twiddled a button on the collar of his navy blue shirt.
- Their natural sense of adventure and competitiveness is channelled into ‘action’ computer games - although all the action involved is sitting on your bum, twiddling your fingers.
- I made her a hat out of some really fuzzy, soft yarn, and watched as she reached up to rip it off… and then stopped, and just kept twiddling it between thumb and fingers.
- He tweaks a knob, he twiddles a dial, he hits a button, and the noise changes on his command.
- If I'd been wearing a tie, I'd have started twiddling it and doing slow burns to an unseen camera.
- I don't want to see any more square-headed blokes twiddling knobs.
- She looked down at her podium and nervously twiddled her fingers.
- He moved his hands in front of his face and started twiddling his fingers.
- Remixing sometimes sounds like twiddling the radio tuner rapidly through different stations.
- Melanie dropped her bags and twiddled her fingers nervously.
- She was nervously twiddling a pen between her fingers.
- The short and jittery teacher was always twiddling his hands annoyingly, stuttering when he spoke and nervously rocking back and forth, as he stood.
- Pachinko is a vertical pinball game where one feeds little steel balls into the top of the machine, and tries to manipulate their passage down the machine by twiddling a knob, in order to win… more balls.
- I slouch down in my seat, twiddling my fingers nervously.
- He mumbled, twiddling his fingers like a young and nervous child.
- She nervously twiddled her fingers together, looking completely uncomfortable.
Synonyms
turn, twist, swivel, twirl, adjust, move, jiggle
fiddle with, play with, toy with, fidget with
1. 1.1archaic no object Turn or move in a twirling way.
  〈古〉旋转，转动

noun ˈtwɪd(ə)lˈtwɪdl

1An act of twisting or fiddling with something.
旋弄，捻弄，摆弄
one twiddle of a button
转一下按钮。
Example sentencesExamples
- The evolutionists just give the knobs of the ‘mechanism’ a twiddle here and there to ‘explain’ the data.
- With darker or lighter, this is easily done at the twiddle of a knob.
1. 1.1 A twisted or curled mark or design.
  扭曲（或卷曲）的记号（或图案）
  twiddles and twirls
  各种各样弯曲扭转的图案。
  Example sentencesExamples
  The table is short of curlicues and twiddles and fancy bits.
2. 1.2 A rapid or intricate series of musical notes.
  急促（或复杂）的乐音
  surprising little twiddles from the woodwinds and horns
  Example sentencesExamples
  In the anteroom, little knots of people emit a cacophony of twangs and twiddles while, in the adjacent baronial hall, by a framed portrait of our hero, Dickie Speake's band is limbering up.

Phrases

twiddle one's thumbs

1Rotate one's thumbs round each other with the fingers linked together.
旋弄两手大拇指
Example sentencesExamples
- The General looked around quite nervously, twiddling his thumbs behind his back.
- Brooke stopped twiddling her thumbs, and pressed their tips together.
- ‘He says some b-b-bad things to me sometimes,’ Jamie said twiddling his thumbs together nervously.
- My father looked to the ground and twiddled his thumbs against each other.
- To my surprise, she was actually twiddling her thumbs while looking around herself, a politely bored expression on her face.
- She began twiddling her thumbs together and staring at the wall ahead of her.
- He perched on the edge of the seat twiddling his thumbs while gazing around the room.
- ‘Well, you followed me,’ Trent pointed out with a smile, twiddling his thumbs together as he made himself more comfortable on the ground.
- The twenty-year-old twiddled his thumbs in front of him as he walked around and around.
- The Banshee sighs as she twiddles her thumbs around each other.
1. 1.1Be bored or idle because one has nothing to do.
  闲得无聊，闲着没事
  I have been sitting here for goodness knows how long twiddling my thumbs
  Example sentencesExamples
  Another friend said: ‘Anyone who knows Mike knows that the one thing he won't do in prison is sit around and twiddle his thumbs.’
  He and I are alike; we yearn for something we cannot find by sitting around, twiddling our thumbs.
  If I didn't come here in the night, I'd be sitting around at home, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about going to a real bar.
  All that sitting around twiddling my thumbs, and pretty soon even the dishes seemed like an interesting option.
  The worst thing you can do is retire and then just sit around and twiddle your thumbs.
  But scientists, if they are to remain any good at what they do, have to keep on doing it - they can't just wait around twiddling their thumbs for five years and still be able to put together a credible bid.
  Everyone sat around looking embarrassed and twiddling their thumbs as usual.
  Instead of twiddling your thumbs and letting frustration get the best of you, why not hit the road and discover the hidden treasures of the Vigie Peninsula?
  He's hardly the kind to sit around twiddling his thumbs.
  But don't think for a second Harris is going to sit around twiddling his thumbs.
  Synonyms
  have nothing to do, kick one's heels, do nothing, be idle, be unoccupied, sit around, kill time, waste time

Derivatives

twiddler

noun

The production is functional but uninspiring, the knob - twiddlers unwilling to sail into any waters that might look dangerous or - perish the thought - exciting.
Example sentencesExamples
- The result is a very creative album that effectively blends the sounds of two obviously talented knob twiddlers - experts, even.
- Every single news organisation is critical of him and his band of thumb twiddlers.

twiddly

adjectivetwiddlier, twiddliest ˈtwɪd(ə)liˈtwɪdli

He can get a bit boring, because over and over again, it's the same tune with more twiddly bits.
Example sentencesExamples
- They are brilliant at their best, overindulgent and far too twiddly at their worst.
- I had a peek at the control panel on the camera while the radiologist was out looking at the first set of snaps: huge, chunky, twiddly dials that looked as though they came from the first nuclear power plant.
- He did twiddly things with his fingers while I was still plodding away without phenomenal skill, but with enormous, infectious passion.
- Could you just sing the tune of the hymn rather than the hundred and fifty-seven little twiddly bits?

Origin

Mid 16th century (in the sense 'trifle'): apparently imitative, combining the notion twirl or twist with that of trifling action expressed by fiddle.

tweed from mid 19th century:
Tweed was originally produced in Scotland, where it was called tweel, a Scots form of twill (Middle English), a word based on two and like twine (Old English) indicating two-ply yarn. Around 1830 a cloth merchant misread this as tweed, a mistake perpetuated by association with the River Tweed, part of which forms the border between England and Scotland. Tweed is traditionally worn by the English country gentry, and tweedy has been used since the early 20th century to suggest a robust, traditional kind of Englishness.

Rhymes

fiddle, griddle, kiddle, Liddell, middle, piddle, riddle

Definition of twiddle in US English:

twiddle

verbˈtwɪdlˈtwidl

[with object]

1Twist, move, or fiddle with (something), typically in a purposeless or nervous way.
（尤指无聊或紧张地）旋弄，捻弄，摆弄
she twiddled the dials on the radio
她无聊地旋弄着收音机上的调谐盘。
no object he began twiddling with the curtain cord
他开始不安地捻弄窗帘绳。
Example sentencesExamples
- Their natural sense of adventure and competitiveness is channelled into ‘action’ computer games - although all the action involved is sitting on your bum, twiddling your fingers.
- The short and jittery teacher was always twiddling his hands annoyingly, stuttering when he spoke and nervously rocking back and forth, as he stood.
- Pachinko is a vertical pinball game where one feeds little steel balls into the top of the machine, and tries to manipulate their passage down the machine by twiddling a knob, in order to win… more balls.
- She nervously twiddled her fingers together, looking completely uncomfortable.
- He mumbled, twiddling his fingers like a young and nervous child.
- We are on the balls of our feet, like tennis players awaiting service, anxiously twiddling our sticks.
- My dad started, twiddling his fingers nervously.
- I slouch down in my seat, twiddling my fingers nervously.
- It was enough to leave reporters twiddling their pens, looking for answers, perhaps from a higher source.
- If I'd been wearing a tie, I'd have started twiddling it and doing slow burns to an unseen camera.
- He tweaks a knob, he twiddles a dial, he hits a button, and the noise changes on his command.
- Melanie dropped her bags and twiddled her fingers nervously.
- I made her a hat out of some really fuzzy, soft yarn, and watched as she reached up to rip it off… and then stopped, and just kept twiddling it between thumb and fingers.
- She was nervously twiddling a pen between her fingers.
- Remixing sometimes sounds like twiddling the radio tuner rapidly through different stations.
- He moved his hands in front of his face and started twiddling his fingers.
- She looked down at her podium and nervously twiddled her fingers.
- I don't want to see any more square-headed blokes twiddling knobs.
- He twiddled a button on the collar of his navy blue shirt.
- ‘This is what I normally do,’ he says, twiddling his locks to show the effect he's after.
Synonyms
turn, twist, swivel, twirl, adjust, move, jiggle
1. 1.1archaic no object Turn or move in a twirling way.
  〈古〉旋转，转动

nounˈtwɪdlˈtwidl

An act of twisting or fiddling with something.
旋弄，捻弄，摆弄
one twiddle of a button
转一下按钮。
Example sentencesExamples
- With darker or lighter, this is easily done at the twiddle of a knob.
- The evolutionists just give the knobs of the ‘mechanism’ a twiddle here and there to ‘explain’ the data.

Phrases

twiddle one's thumbs

1Rotate one's thumbs around each other with the fingers linked together.
旋弄两手大拇指
Example sentencesExamples
- The Banshee sighs as she twiddles her thumbs around each other.
- The twenty-year-old twiddled his thumbs in front of him as he walked around and around.
- My father looked to the ground and twiddled his thumbs against each other.
- She began twiddling her thumbs together and staring at the wall ahead of her.
- The General looked around quite nervously, twiddling his thumbs behind his back.
- To my surprise, she was actually twiddling her thumbs while looking around herself, a politely bored expression on her face.
- ‘Well, you followed me,’ Trent pointed out with a smile, twiddling his thumbs together as he made himself more comfortable on the ground.
- He perched on the edge of the seat twiddling his thumbs while gazing around the room.
- Brooke stopped twiddling her thumbs, and pressed their tips together.
- ‘He says some b-b-bad things to me sometimes,’ Jamie said twiddling his thumbs together nervously.
1. 1.1Be bored or idle because one has nothing to do.
  闲得无聊，闲着没事
  Example sentencesExamples
  If I didn't come here in the night, I'd be sitting around at home, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about going to a real bar.
  He's hardly the kind to sit around twiddling his thumbs.
  The worst thing you can do is retire and then just sit around and twiddle your thumbs.
  Instead of twiddling your thumbs and letting frustration get the best of you, why not hit the road and discover the hidden treasures of the Vigie Peninsula?
  He and I are alike; we yearn for something we cannot find by sitting around, twiddling our thumbs.
  But scientists, if they are to remain any good at what they do, have to keep on doing it - they can't just wait around twiddling their thumbs for five years and still be able to put together a credible bid.
  Everyone sat around looking embarrassed and twiddling their thumbs as usual.
  Another friend said: ‘Anyone who knows Mike knows that the one thing he won't do in prison is sit around and twiddle his thumbs.’
  All that sitting around twiddling my thumbs, and pretty soon even the dishes seemed like an interesting option.
  But don't think for a second Harris is going to sit around twiddling his thumbs.
  Synonyms
  have nothing to do, kick one's heels, do nothing, be idle, be unoccupied, sit around, kill time, waste time

Origin

Mid 16th century (in the sense ‘trifle’): apparently imitative, combining the notion twirl or twist with that of trifling action expressed by fiddle.

词汇	twiddle
释义	Definition of twiddle in English: twiddle verb ˈtwɪd(ə)lˈtwɪdl [with object] 1Twist, move, or fiddle with (something), typically in a purposeless or nervous way. （尤指无聊或紧张地）旋弄，捻弄，摆弄 she twiddled the dials on the radio 她无聊地旋弄着收音机上的调谐盘。 no object he began twiddling with the curtain cord 他开始不安地捻弄窗帘绳。 Example sentencesExamples It was enough to leave reporters twiddling their pens, looking for answers, perhaps from a higher source. We are on the balls of our feet, like tennis players awaiting service, anxiously twiddling our sticks. ‘This is what I normally do,’ he says, twiddling his locks to show the effect he's after. My dad started, twiddling his fingers nervously. He twiddled a button on the collar of his navy blue shirt. Their natural sense of adventure and competitiveness is channelled into ‘action’ computer games - although all the action involved is sitting on your bum, twiddling your fingers. I made her a hat out of some really fuzzy, soft yarn, and watched as she reached up to rip it off… and then stopped, and just kept twiddling it between thumb and fingers. He tweaks a knob, he twiddles a dial, he hits a button, and the noise changes on his command. If I'd been wearing a tie, I'd have started twiddling it and doing slow burns to an unseen camera. I don't want to see any more square-headed blokes twiddling knobs. She looked down at her podium and nervously twiddled her fingers. He moved his hands in front of his face and started twiddling his fingers. Remixing sometimes sounds like twiddling the radio tuner rapidly through different stations. Melanie dropped her bags and twiddled her fingers nervously. She was nervously twiddling a pen between her fingers. The short and jittery teacher was always twiddling his hands annoyingly, stuttering when he spoke and nervously rocking back and forth, as he stood. Pachinko is a vertical pinball game where one feeds little steel balls into the top of the machine, and tries to manipulate their passage down the machine by twiddling a knob, in order to win… more balls. I slouch down in my seat, twiddling my fingers nervously. He mumbled, twiddling his fingers like a young and nervous child. She nervously twiddled her fingers together, looking completely uncomfortable. Synonyms turn, twist, swivel, twirl, adjust, move, jiggle fiddle with, play with, toy with, fidget with 1.1archaic no object Turn or move in a twirling way. 〈古〉旋转，转动 noun ˈtwɪd(ə)lˈtwɪdl 1An act of twisting or fiddling with something. 旋弄，捻弄，摆弄 one twiddle of a button 转一下按钮。 Example sentencesExamples The evolutionists just give the knobs of the ‘mechanism’ a twiddle here and there to ‘explain’ the data. With darker or lighter, this is easily done at the twiddle of a knob. 1.1 A twisted or curled mark or design. 扭曲（或卷曲）的记号（或图案） twiddles and twirls 各种各样弯曲扭转的图案。 Example sentencesExamples The table is short of curlicues and twiddles and fancy bits. 1.2 A rapid or intricate series of musical notes. 急促（或复杂）的乐音 surprising little twiddles from the woodwinds and horns Example sentencesExamples In the anteroom, little knots of people emit a cacophony of twangs and twiddles while, in the adjacent baronial hall, by a framed portrait of our hero, Dickie Speake's band is limbering up. Phrases twiddle one's thumbs 1Rotate one's thumbs round each other with the fingers linked together. 旋弄两手大拇指 Example sentencesExamples The General looked around quite nervously, twiddling his thumbs behind his back. Brooke stopped twiddling her thumbs, and pressed their tips together. ‘He says some b-b-bad things to me sometimes,’ Jamie said twiddling his thumbs together nervously. My father looked to the ground and twiddled his thumbs against each other. To my surprise, she was actually twiddling her thumbs while looking around herself, a politely bored expression on her face. She began twiddling her thumbs together and staring at the wall ahead of her. He perched on the edge of the seat twiddling his thumbs while gazing around the room. ‘Well, you followed me,’ Trent pointed out with a smile, twiddling his thumbs together as he made himself more comfortable on the ground. The twenty-year-old twiddled his thumbs in front of him as he walked around and around. The Banshee sighs as she twiddles her thumbs around each other. 1.1Be bored or idle because one has nothing to do. 闲得无聊，闲着没事 I have been sitting here for goodness knows how long twiddling my thumbs Example sentencesExamples Another friend said: ‘Anyone who knows Mike knows that the one thing he won't do in prison is sit around and twiddle his thumbs.’ He and I are alike; we yearn for something we cannot find by sitting around, twiddling our thumbs. If I didn't come here in the night, I'd be sitting around at home, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about going to a real bar. All that sitting around twiddling my thumbs, and pretty soon even the dishes seemed like an interesting option. The worst thing you can do is retire and then just sit around and twiddle your thumbs. But scientists, if they are to remain any good at what they do, have to keep on doing it - they can't just wait around twiddling their thumbs for five years and still be able to put together a credible bid. Everyone sat around looking embarrassed and twiddling their thumbs as usual. Instead of twiddling your thumbs and letting frustration get the best of you, why not hit the road and discover the hidden treasures of the Vigie Peninsula? He's hardly the kind to sit around twiddling his thumbs. But don't think for a second Harris is going to sit around twiddling his thumbs. Synonyms have nothing to do, kick one's heels, do nothing, be idle, be unoccupied, sit around, kill time, waste time Derivatives twiddler noun The production is functional but uninspiring, the knob - twiddlers unwilling to sail into any waters that might look dangerous or - perish the thought - exciting. Example sentencesExamples The result is a very creative album that effectively blends the sounds of two obviously talented knob twiddlers - experts, even. Every single news organisation is critical of him and his band of thumb twiddlers. twiddly adjectivetwiddlier, twiddliest ˈtwɪd(ə)liˈtwɪdli He can get a bit boring, because over and over again, it's the same tune with more twiddly bits. Example sentencesExamples They are brilliant at their best, overindulgent and far too twiddly at their worst. I had a peek at the control panel on the camera while the radiologist was out looking at the first set of snaps: huge, chunky, twiddly dials that looked as though they came from the first nuclear power plant. He did twiddly things with his fingers while I was still plodding away without phenomenal skill, but with enormous, infectious passion. Could you just sing the tune of the hymn rather than the hundred and fifty-seven little twiddly bits? Origin Mid 16th century (in the sense 'trifle'): apparently imitative, combining the notion twirl or twist with that of trifling action expressed by fiddle. tweed from mid 19th century: Tweed was originally produced in Scotland, where it was called tweel, a Scots form of twill (Middle English), a word based on two and like twine (Old English) indicating two-ply yarn. Around 1830 a cloth merchant misread this as tweed, a mistake perpetuated by association with the River Tweed, part of which forms the border between England and Scotland. Tweed is traditionally worn by the English country gentry, and tweedy has been used since the early 20th century to suggest a robust, traditional kind of Englishness. Rhymes fiddle, griddle, kiddle, Liddell, middle, piddle, riddle verb.1 phr. Definition of twiddle in US English: twiddle verbˈtwɪdlˈtwidl [with object] 1Twist, move, or fiddle with (something), typically in a purposeless or nervous way. （尤指无聊或紧张地）旋弄，捻弄，摆弄 she twiddled the dials on the radio 她无聊地旋弄着收音机上的调谐盘。 no object he began twiddling with the curtain cord 他开始不安地捻弄窗帘绳。 Example sentencesExamples Their natural sense of adventure and competitiveness is channelled into ‘action’ computer games - although all the action involved is sitting on your bum, twiddling your fingers. The short and jittery teacher was always twiddling his hands annoyingly, stuttering when he spoke and nervously rocking back and forth, as he stood. Pachinko is a vertical pinball game where one feeds little steel balls into the top of the machine, and tries to manipulate their passage down the machine by twiddling a knob, in order to win… more balls. She nervously twiddled her fingers together, looking completely uncomfortable. He mumbled, twiddling his fingers like a young and nervous child. We are on the balls of our feet, like tennis players awaiting service, anxiously twiddling our sticks. My dad started, twiddling his fingers nervously. I slouch down in my seat, twiddling my fingers nervously. It was enough to leave reporters twiddling their pens, looking for answers, perhaps from a higher source. If I'd been wearing a tie, I'd have started twiddling it and doing slow burns to an unseen camera. He tweaks a knob, he twiddles a dial, he hits a button, and the noise changes on his command. Melanie dropped her bags and twiddled her fingers nervously. I made her a hat out of some really fuzzy, soft yarn, and watched as she reached up to rip it off… and then stopped, and just kept twiddling it between thumb and fingers. She was nervously twiddling a pen between her fingers. Remixing sometimes sounds like twiddling the radio tuner rapidly through different stations. He moved his hands in front of his face and started twiddling his fingers. She looked down at her podium and nervously twiddled her fingers. I don't want to see any more square-headed blokes twiddling knobs. He twiddled a button on the collar of his navy blue shirt. ‘This is what I normally do,’ he says, twiddling his locks to show the effect he's after. Synonyms turn, twist, swivel, twirl, adjust, move, jiggle 1.1archaic no object Turn or move in a twirling way. 〈古〉旋转，转动 nounˈtwɪdlˈtwidl An act of twisting or fiddling with something. 旋弄，捻弄，摆弄 one twiddle of a button 转一下按钮。 Example sentencesExamples With darker or lighter, this is easily done at the twiddle of a knob. The evolutionists just give the knobs of the ‘mechanism’ a twiddle here and there to ‘explain’ the data. Phrases twiddle one's thumbs 1Rotate one's thumbs around each other with the fingers linked together. 旋弄两手大拇指 Example sentencesExamples The Banshee sighs as she twiddles her thumbs around each other. The twenty-year-old twiddled his thumbs in front of him as he walked around and around. My father looked to the ground and twiddled his thumbs against each other. She began twiddling her thumbs together and staring at the wall ahead of her. The General looked around quite nervously, twiddling his thumbs behind his back. To my surprise, she was actually twiddling her thumbs while looking around herself, a politely bored expression on her face. ‘Well, you followed me,’ Trent pointed out with a smile, twiddling his thumbs together as he made himself more comfortable on the ground. He perched on the edge of the seat twiddling his thumbs while gazing around the room. Brooke stopped twiddling her thumbs, and pressed their tips together. ‘He says some b-b-bad things to me sometimes,’ Jamie said twiddling his thumbs together nervously. 1.1Be bored or idle because one has nothing to do. 闲得无聊，闲着没事 Example sentencesExamples If I didn't come here in the night, I'd be sitting around at home, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about going to a real bar. He's hardly the kind to sit around twiddling his thumbs. The worst thing you can do is retire and then just sit around and twiddle your thumbs. Instead of twiddling your thumbs and letting frustration get the best of you, why not hit the road and discover the hidden treasures of the Vigie Peninsula? He and I are alike; we yearn for something we cannot find by sitting around, twiddling our thumbs. But scientists, if they are to remain any good at what they do, have to keep on doing it - they can't just wait around twiddling their thumbs for five years and still be able to put together a credible bid. Everyone sat around looking embarrassed and twiddling their thumbs as usual. Another friend said: ‘Anyone who knows Mike knows that the one thing he won't do in prison is sit around and twiddle his thumbs.’ All that sitting around twiddling my thumbs, and pretty soon even the dishes seemed like an interesting option. But don't think for a second Harris is going to sit around twiddling his thumbs. Synonyms have nothing to do, kick one's heels, do nothing, be idle, be unoccupied, sit around, kill time, waste time Origin Mid 16th century (in the sense ‘trifle’): apparently imitative, combining the notion twirl or twist with that of trifling action expressed by fiddle. verb.1 phr.
随便看	hop, step , and a jump hop, step , and jump hop the stick hop the twig hop the twig (or stick) hop the twig (or stick) hop the twig/stick hop the wag from hop-toad hopton wood hop tree hop-yard hor. hor hora Horace horace gray horace greeley horace harmon lurton horace mann horace walpole horah horal horary Horatian