subs. (colloquial).—A walk, a saunter: also as verb (or TO DO A TODDLE) = (1) to be off (GROSE), and (2) to totter along: as an invalid or child. Hence TODDLES (TODDLEKINS or LITTLE TODDLER) = an endearment to a little child.
1783. JOHNSON [BOSWELL, Life, ætat 74]. I should like … to have a cottage in your park, TODDLE about, live mostly on milk and be taken care of by Mrs. Boswell.
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. TODDLE … The cove was touting, but stagging the traps he TODDLED.
1816. SCOTT, The Antiquary, xliv. And the bits o’ weans that come TODDLING to play wi’ me.
1823. P. EGAN, Randall’s Scrap Book.
| Oh! may we hear thy cheerful footsteps sound, | |
| And see us TODDLE in with heart elate. |
1829. Vidocq’s Memoirs, ‘On the Prigging Lay’ [FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 107].
| I stops a bit: then TODDLED quicker, | |
| For I’d prigged his reader, drawn his ticker. |
1855. THACKERAY, The Newcomes, liii. Children who are accomplished shop-lifters and liars almost as soon as they can TODDLE and speak. Ibid. (1862), The Adventures of Philip, xvi. One of the children … was TODDLING by her side.
1858. G. ELIOT, Janet’s Repentance, xii. When I was a little TODDLE, Mr and Mrs Crewe used to let me play about in their garden.
1862. A. TROLLOPE, Orley Farm, xv. Her daily little TODDLE through the town.
1872. BLACKMORE, The Maid of Sker, v. What did the little thing do but … set off in the bravest TODDLE.
1885. Queen, 26 Sept. A few tolerable TODDLEKINS in the intermediate cabins.
1891. Pall Mall Gazette, 3 July, i. 2. The ‘great Trek’ … has TODDLED out of the little end of the horn.
1901. Referee, 14 April, 9, 2. Hundreds of tiny TODDLES in their white pinnies … were dancing together to a piano-organ.
1901. W. S. WALKER, In the Blood, 113. So ter-morrer me and Joe, my mate, do a little TODDLE round arter we see the lights go out.
