[f. as prec. + -ING2.]
1. That wriggles or squirms; writhing.
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., V. 63 b. A wrigling taile streight to his limmes was added more beside.
1587. Fleming, Contn. Holinshed, III. 1292/1. Two wrigling or scralling serpents.
1613. W. Browne, Brit. Past., I. v. 102. As an Angler … A wrigling yealow worme thrust on his hooke.
1690. C. Nesse, O. & N. Test., I. 42. He assumes … the shape of a wriggling crooked serpent.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1811), III. 363. I must take care … the little riggling rogue does not slip through my fingers.
1865. Livingstone, Zambesi, vii. 167. A native emerges out of the moving mass of dead elephant and wriggling humanity.
1888. J. Inglis, Tent Life, 296. A great wriggling iguana.
transf. c. 1590. J. Stewart, Poems (S.T.S.), II. 71. Thir vrigling werse than plaine sall pass perfyt.
2. Characterized or distinguished by wriggling or writhing.
1608. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iv. Decay, 887. As a fell Serpent … With wriggling pase doth still approach his Foe.
1663. Boyle, Usef. Exp. Nat. Philos., I. ii. 42. A wrigling motion, like that of eels.
1783. Wolcot (P. Pindar), Odes to R.A.’s, I. viii. Won with such wry mouths and wriggling pain.
1799. Southey, Nondescript, Filbert. Watching two maggots run their wriggling race.
1859. Murchison, Siluria (ed. 3), xii. 303. Wriggling movements of a Salamandroid quadruped.
1888. Gunter, Mr. Potter, xxii. 259. [A dog] with tail and ears and body all wriggling ecstasy.
fig. 1688. Miége, Gt. Fr. Dict., II. s.v., He took a wriggling byas in his Letter, which I am not pleased with.
c. 1869. Swinburne, Ess. & Stud. (1875), 289. The wriggling prurience of such lackey’s literature as is handed round.
3. Meandering; tortuous; winding.
1640. J. Gower, Ovid’s Festiv., III. 48. [Sylvia] came unto the wriggling brook. Ibid., 62. His flow’ry green, Which wriggling Tyber laves.
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 5. It is not unlike the crawling of a Snake, it’s various Hills and Vallies … seem to borrow that riggling Shape.
Hence Wrigglingly adv.
1601. Deacon & Walker, Answ. to Darel, To Rdr. 4. They … do rather incedere tortuosè, goe wrigglinglie to worke.
1866. Howells, Venet. Life, v. 73. [He spoke] wrigglingly, and with … gesticulations towards the pit.
