Forms: see prec. [A parallel form to TRENDLE, TRINDLE v.; cf. OF. trondeler to fall rolling (Godef.), ‘to trundle as a ball’ (Cotgr., 1611).]
I. 1. a. trans. To cause to roll along upon a surface, as a ball, hoop, or other globular or circular object; to roll, bowl. Also fig.
1598. Florio, Carrucolare, to trundle or rowle.
1601. Holland, Pliny, VIII. vii. I. 196. One Elephant did wonders:… hee caught from them their targuets and bucklers perforce, flung them aloft into the aire, which as they fell, turned round, as if they had beene trundeled by art.
1630. J. Taylor (Water P.), Pennilesse Pilgr., Wks. I. 122/2. There did we trundle down health after health.
1698. Vanbrugh, Æsop, III. i. I could tell my mother’s pedigree before I could speak plain; which, to show you … the strength of my memory, I’ll trundle you down in an instant.
1760–72. H. Brooke, Fool of Qual. (1809), III. 92. Various exercises…, such as wrestling…, and tossing or trundling leaden balls.
1798. Coleridge, Fears in Solit., 114. Terms which we trundle smoothly o’er our tongues.
1824. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1863), 109. George Hearn, the little post-boy, trundling his hoop at full speed.
1832. Cobbett, Rur. Rides (1885), II. 380. Sitting round a dirty board, with potatoes trundled out upon it, as the Irish do.
1901. R. Anderson, Hist. Kilsyth, vi. 50. [He] trundled an orange across the floor.
b. intr. To move along on a surface by revolving; to roll. Also fig.
1629. B. Jonson, New Inn, II. i. To be cropp’d … Close to his head to trundle on his pillow.
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies, Cornw. (1662), I. 201. His Round-Table,… the tale whereof hath Trundled so smoothly along for many ages.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 253, ¶ 10. A Description in Homer’s Odyssey, where Sisyphus is represented lifting his Stone up the Hill … it is heaved up by several Spondees … and at last trundles down in a continual Line of Dactyls.
1840. Dickens, Barn. Rudge, v. Occasionally a hat or wig … came spinning and trundling past him.
c. Cricket. (trans. or absol.) To bowl. colloq.
The ball was originally trundled along the ground.
1882. [see TRUNDLER b, trundling below].
2. trans. To cause to rotate; to twirl, spin, whirl (something held in the hand); spec. to twirl (a mop) so as to free it from water. Cf. ROLL v.2 5.
a. 1756. [see trundled below].
1787. Colman, Prose on Sev. Occas., III. 277. While Footmen, women grown … Shall darn old hose, sweep rooms, and trundle mops.
1864. Sir F. Palgrave, Norm. & Eng., IV. 60. Instead of trundling the theodolite they yoked the oxen.
1883. H. J. Powell, Glass-making, 65. The English workman attains the same result by trundling the glass during reheating.
b. intr. for pass.
1782. [see trundling below].
3. intr. To move or run on a wheel or wheels. (Cf. ROLL v.2 11 c.)
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. xiv. (Roxb.), 16/2. Such are termed Truckle beds, because they trundle under other beds.
1768. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), I. 59. To see the wheelbarrow trundle.
1824. Blackw. Mag., IV. 95. The night coaches and mails were now trundling in.
1882. J. Hawthorne, Fort. Fool, I. xiv. Numbers of fine carriages … trundle up.
b. trans. To draw or push along on a wheel or wheels, as a wheelbarrow, vehicle, etc.
1825. Scott, Lett., 7 June. A light barouche … which two horses will trundle along like a bowl.
1862. Sala, Seven Sons, II. iii. 80. [He] was trundling a wheelbarrow full of sand.
1886. H. F. Lester, Under two Fig Trees, 128. If nurse … was requested … to trundle the perambulator.
4. trans. To convey in a wheeled vehicle, to wheel.
1773. Goldsm., Stoops to Conq., I. ad fin. I’ll clap a pair of horses to your chaise that shall trundle you off in a twinkling.
1842. J. Wilson, Chr. North (1857), I. 142. The children are all trundled away out of the cottage.
1847–8. H. Miller, First Impr., ix. 156. As many bricks as an Irish labourer would trundle in a wheel-barrow.
1869. Dickens, Lett. (1880), II. 413. The Bath chairs trundling the dowagers about the streets.
b. intr. To go in a wheeled vehicle (in quot. 1909, on a bicycle or tricycle).
1840. Dickens, Barn. Rudge, xxii. Mr. Tappertit trundled off with the chaise.
1909. Spectator, 31 July, 164/2. On my trusty ‘Rover’ I trundle down the brae.
5. fig. (intr.) To go, walk, or run easily or rapidly; to go away, ‘be off’; also, to walk unsteadily or with a rolling gait.
1680. V. Alsop, Mischief Impos., iv. 27. Some may come [to their own Parish-church] out of custom, because they have used to trundle thither down the hill.
1700. Congreve, Way of World, I. ii. Bet. They are gone, sir, in great anger. Peb. Enough, let ’em trundle.
a. 1754. Fielding, Fathers, IV. i. The next morning down trundled her and I to Dirty Park.
1820. Lady Granville, Lett., 22 Aug. She … trundled out of the House.
1872. C. King, Mountain. Sierra Nev., x. 220. Sarah Jane rolled, I might almost say, trundled in.
b. trans. To carry or send off, turn out, dismiss.
1794. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Dinah, 99, Wks. 1816, III. 315. Off were the couple trundled—man and maid.
1818. Scott, Br. Lamm., xxi. The women … always contrived to trundle me out of favour before the honeymoon was over.
II. [back-formation from trundle-bed.]
† 6. intr. To occupy a trundle-bed; = TRUCKLE v. 1. Obs. rare–1.
c. 1626. Dick of Devon., IV. i., in Bullen, O. Pl., II. 61. You and your brother Manuell lay in the high Bed, and I trondling underneath.
Hence Trundled ppl. a., Trundling vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
a. 1637. B. Jonson, Horace, Art Poetrie, 568. Who’s unskilful at the coit, or ball, Or trundling wheele.
1674. N. Fairfax, Bulk & Selv., 68. As a Coach may be so tickly set … as to give it self a trundling.
a. 1756. Mrs. Haywood, New Present (1771), 256. The house-maid then, with a trundled mop, dries the floor very neatly.
1782. Cowper, Gilpin, 139. Just like unto a trundling mop.
1803. R. Couper, Tourifications, xvi. II. 121. The extremity of this avenue was crossed by a fine little clear trundling rivulet.
1882. Daily Tel., 19 May. Making a slashing drive to the off for 4 from the same trundling.
1908. Chron. Lond. Mission. Soc., March, 47/2. Trundling carts threw up clouds of choking dust.
