Forms: see the verb also 4–5 tikil, -ul, tekil, 5 tekyl, -el, tykell, 6 tyckyll, 6–7 tickell, 8 dial. tikkle. [Goes with TICKLE v.: the use of the vb.-stem as adj. is unusual; but cf. KITTLE a. beside KITTLE v.]
† 1. (Sense uncertain: ? Threatening or in danger to fall. Cf. 6.) Obs.
c. 1325. Body & Soul, in Map’s Poems (Camden), 346. Þou hauest y-liued to longe, wo wruth the so suykel!… Pynen harde ant stronge to þe bueþ nou ful tykel.
† 2. Pleasantly stirred or excited. (Cf. TICKLE v. 1.) Obs.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 13413. When y byþenke on ȝoure godnesse … Ffor þat ioye myn herte ys tykel.
† 3. Easily moved to feeling or action; easily affected in any way; not firm or steadfast; loose; also, susceptible to tickling, easily tickled or tingled. Tickle credit, ready or facile trust or belief; credulity. Obs.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. (Crowley), V. 166. They are ticle of her tonges, & muste al secretes tel.
c. 1530. H. Rhodes, Bk. Nurture, 695. Some men be tickle of tongue, and play the blabs by kynde.
1533. T. Heywood, Play of Love, C j. The paps so small And rounde with all The wast not myckyll But it was tyckyll.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet. (1580), 3. Euen these auncient Preachers must now and then plaie the fooles in the pulpit, to serue the tickle eares of their fletyng audience.
1563. Mirr. Mag., Hastings, xlii. Of tyckle credyte ne had ben the mischiefe. Ibid., lxxvii. Flye tickle credyte, shonne alyke distrust.
† b. With reference to incontinency. Obs.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. III. 126. Heo is Tikel of hire Tayl, Talewys of hire tonge, As Comuyn as þe Cart-wei to knaues and to alle.
c. 1475. Songs Carols 15th C. (Warton Cl.), 27. Under the tayl they ben ful tekyl.
1604. W. Terilo, Fr. Bacon’s Proph., 228, in Hazl., E. P. P., IV. 276. Wickednes was loath’d so much, That no man lov’d the tickle tuch.
† 4. Having the quality of tickling, tickly. Obs.
(Quots. c. 1440, 1570 perh. belong here.)
[c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 493/2. Tykel, titillosus.
1570. Levins, Manip., 129/14. Tickil, titillenus, -na.]
1593. B. Barnes, Parthenophil, Madrigal, xvi. Soft things whose touch is tickle to the mind, Give no like touch, all joys in one to wrap.
5. Not to be depended upon; uncertain (in fact, action, duration, etc.); unreliable; changeable, inconstant, capricious, fickle, ‘kittle.’ Now dial.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 655. May þou traw for tykel þat þou tonne moȝtez.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Miller’s T., 242. This world is now ful tikel [v.rr. tekyl, -el, tikil, tykell] sikerly.
1537. St. Papers Hen. VIII., I. 531. I assure your Lordeship the people be very tykell.
1566. Painter, Pal. Pleas., I. 58. Holde fast thy fortune, for she is tickle and can not be holden against her will.
1670. Cotton, Espernon, III. XII. 368. His sons … were best acquainted with his tickle & impatient humour.
1737. J. Broadhead, in N. & Q. (1895), 8th Ser. VII. 405/1. A pretty deal of Rain in some places westward, Mad[e] Harvest rather Tickle.
1795. Chester Chron., 27 March (E.D.D.). So tikkle as times ar.
1888. Doughty, Arabia Deserta, II. 158. He must learn the English tongue … who can foresee the years to come, this world is so tickle.
6. In unstable equilibrium, easily upset or overthrown, insecure, tottering, crazy; also, easily set in motion or action; nicely poised; delicate, sensitive. Now dial. † Tickle of the sear: see SEAR sb.1 1 b.
1515. in Foxe, A. & M. (1583), 809/2. A stoole, which stoole stood vpon a bolster of a bed, so tickle, that any manne or beaste might not touch it so litle, but it was ready to fall.
1555. Act 2 & 3 Phil. & Mary, c. 16 § 2. Boates … so shallowe & tickle that therby greate perill & danger of drowning hathe many tymes ensued.
1583–1602. [see SEAR sb.1 1 b].
1612. Chapman, Widowes T., Plays, 1873, III. 29. I haue set her hart vpon as tickle a pin as the needle of a Diall.
1883. W. Yorks. Gloss., s.v., A mouse-trap should be set tickle, i. e. easy to go off.
1904. in Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v., (Lancs.) That wall’s very tickle, you’ll have it deawn if yo’r not very careful.
b. transf. Of a place, condition, etc.: Insecure; precarious, slippery; risky, dangerous, Obs. or arch.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., July, 14. In humble dales is footing fast, The trode is not so tickle.
1589. Mar Martine, 5. Thilke way & trood whilke thou dost swade, is steepe & also tickle.
1643. Baker, Chron., Hen. VII., 148. These words … seemed to expresse a tickle hold of Loyalty.
1665. Brathwait, Comment 2 Tales, 129. Conventicles are Tickle places for Holy Sisters.
1681. Cotton, Wond. Peak (ed. 4), 43. Footing … still more tickle, and unsafe.
1834. Sir H. Taylor, 2nd Pt. Artevelde, III. iii. I oft before have clomb to tickle places, But this will be the last of all my climbing.
1868. Browning, Ring & Bk., IV. 51. The grey innocuous grub, of yore, Had hatched a hornet, tickle to the touch.
7. = TICKLISH a. 5. Now dial.
c. 1489. Caxton, Blanchardyn, liv. 223. Seeing the tickle state of his fathers kingdome.
1569. Stocker, trans. Diod. Sic., I. xix. 28. The matter stoode upon this tickle and dangerous point.
1581. Pettie, Guazzo’s Civ. Conv., II. (1586), 71 b. The trueth is a thing so tickle, that a man may incurre reprehension, not onely by disguising it in some part coulourably, but euen by very reporting of it simply.
1586. Ferne, Blaz. Gentrie, II. 3. So tickle and nyce be the precepts of those writers, that to swarue but one haire from their prescribed rules, hath fordone all thy former worke.
a. 1618. Raleigh, Soul’s Errand, viii. Tell wit how much it wrangles In tickle points of niceness.
1681. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen. (1693), 385. A very tickle point or controversie.
1868. E. Waugh, Sneck-Bant, iv. (E.D.D.). Hoo’s nobbut in a tickle state o’ health.
1884. Chester Gloss., s.v., Au’ve getten rayther a tickle job here.
1887. Baring-Gould, Red Spider, ii. The money-spinner is a tickle (touchy) beast, and may take offence at a godless word.
b. Delicate in the feelings or senses; fastidious, dainty, squeamish; easily upset or disordered. Now dial.
c. 1456. Pecock, Bk. Faith (1909), 212. Whi schulde ȝe thanne be so tikil and squaymose?
1762. T. Brydges, Burlesque Homer (1797). II. 96. Juno, whose nose was mighty tickle, Soon smelt their most unsavoury pickle.
1855. Shevvild Chap’s Ann., 23 (E.D.D.). Thah’s a varry tickle stomach.
1901. F. E. Taylor, Folle Speech S. Lanc. (ibid.). He’s very tickle abeawt what he ates an’ sups.
c. Difficult to deal with.
1570. Levins, Manip., 121/46. Tickle, impatiens, intactilis.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, Ded. (Arb.), 7. Virgil … and Ouid … are so tickle in soom places, as they rather craue a construction than a translation.
1887. Baring-Gould, Gaverocks, xxx. There is a tickle (difficult) bit where I cannot plant a foot.
d. Of an animal: Easily scared; shy, wild. dial.
[1737. Gentl. Mag., VII. 114/2. But if I shoot Not out of hand. The bird, which doth So tickle stand, May chance to fly away.]
1877. E. Leigh, Chesh. Gloss., 212. Tickle is also applied to game, particularly hares, when wild and ready to move. ‘The snow or frost makes the hares very tickle.’
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., s.v., Fish, when they bite very shyly, are said to be ‘strange an’ tickle.’
1879. T. Warden, Crossford, I. 22. The birds were excessively tickle, and persistently got up out of shot.
† 8. quasi-adv. (in senses 6 and 7): In a tickle or ticklish manner; insecurely, precariously. Obs.
1606. Daniel, Funeral Poem, Poems (1717), 313. And this Important Piece … did then so tickle stand, As that no Jointure of the Government But shook.
1692. R. L’Estrange, Josephus, Wars Jews, IV. i. (1733), 689. The Houses stand so thick and tickle upon the Steep of the Hill … as if they were ready to drop into the Precipice.
1699. J. Woodward, in Phil. Trans., XXI. 224. Corpuscles … absolutely Spherical, must stand so very tickle and nicely upon each other, as to be susceptible of every impression.
9. Comb. a. in sense ‘easily moved or set in motion,’ as † tickle-footed (of a hawk), having an insecure grasp or clutch; † tickle-headed, light-minded, easily influenced; † tickle-heeled, having nimble or active heels; † tickle-tongued, loose of tongue, talkative, garrulous. See also TICKLE-TAIL. b. tickle-plough (dial.): see quot. 1875.
a. 1616. Beaum. & Fl., Scornf. Lady, V. iv. Lady I would not undertake ye, were you again a haggard, for the best cast of four ladys i’ th’ kingdom: you were ever *tickle-footed, and would not truss round.
1583. Golding, Calvin on Deut. lxxiv. 455. In al ages men haue bin *tickleheaded:… euery man would needs be casting of some peece or collup of his own making, to the things that God had commaunded.
1737. Bracken, Farriery Impr. (1757), II. 35. A Horse may … shew abundance of Life and Action, while under a *tickle heel’d Jockey-Boy.
1875. Sussex Gloss., *Tickle-plough, a plough with wooden beam and handles.
1884. W. Sussex Gaz., 25 Sept. Dead stock:… three one-horse dung carts, tickle ploughs … and small harrows.
1577. Stanyhurst, Descr. Irel., Ep. Ded. His historie … being … somewhat *tickle toonged,… it twitled more tales out of schoole [etc.].
