v. rare. [app. repr. Ger. dudeln, tudeln, ‘to perform badly on a musical instrument’; cf. also TOODLE v.] intr. A depreciative or humorous expression for ‘to play on a musical instrument.’ Hence Tudeler [cf. Ger. dudler bad player or singer]. So Tudle adv. or int., an imitation of the sound of a flute or similar instrument (cf. toodle-toodle s.v. TOODLE v.).
1814. Mme. D’Arblay, Wanderer, II. 109. Give her as much of your tudeling as will come to this…. By then, she’ll be able to twiddle over them wires by herself. Ibid., 110. He called her his pretty tudeler.
1834. J. Downing, Life & Writ., 23. The fires and the bugles … went tudle, tudle, tudle, tudle.
