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whiffle
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Whiffle

Whiffle \Whif"fle\, v. t.

  1. To disperse with, or as with, a whiff, or puff; to scatter. [Obs.]
    --Dr. H. More.

  2. To wave or shake quickly; to cause to whiffle.

Whiffle

Whiffle \Whif"fle\, n. A fife or small flute. [Obs.]
--Douce.

Whiffle

Whiffle \Whif"fle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Whiffled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whiffling.] [Freq. of whiff to puff, perhaps influenced by D. weifelen to waver.]

  1. To waver, or shake, as if moved by gusts of wind; to shift, turn, or veer about.
    --D?mpier.

  2. To change from one opinion or course to another; to use evasions; to prevaricate; to be fickle.

    A person of whiffing and unsteady turn of mind can not keep close to a point of controversy.
    --I. Watts.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
whiffle

"flicker or flutter as if blown by the wind," 1660s; see whiff. The noun meaning "something light or insignificant" (1670s) is preserved in whiffle-ball (1931).

Wiktionary
whiffle

n. 1 A short blow or gust 2 (context obsolete English) Something small or insignificant; a trifle. 3 (context obsolete English) A fife or small flute. vb. 1 to blow a short gust 2 to waffle, talk aimlessly 3 (context British English) to waste time 4 to travel quickly, whizz, whistle, with an accompanying wind-like sound 5 (context ornithology of a bird English) to descending rapidly from a height once the decision to land has been made, involving fast side-slipping first one way and then the other 6 (context intransitive English) To waver, or shake, as if moved by gusts of wind; to shift, turn, or veer about. 7 (context transitive English) To wave or shake quickly; to cause to whiffle. 8 To change from one opinion or course to another; to use evasions; to prevaricate; to be fickle. 9 To disperse with, or as with, a whiff, or puff; to scatter.

Usage examples of "whiffle".

Ernie is a thistle whiffler and he whiffles thistles with a thistle whiffler.

Club practically founded itself, and Whifflers who had formed attachments while Whiffling in company, secured special Whifflet coupons entitling them to a Whifflet wedding with a Whifflet cake and their photographs in the papers.

The satiny snake whiffled, Fagott opened his mouth like a nestling and swallowed it all card by card.

Club practically founded itself, and Whifflers who had formed attachments while Whiffling in company, secured special Whifflet coupons entitling them to a Whifflet wedding with a Whifflet cake and their photographs in the papers.

No, Rogeryou can bet your last set of Aertex that the entire personnel of the ungodly is at this moment engaged in whiffling through every telephone number in the book as they've never whiffled before.

It came whiffling and burbling through the tulgey wood, its eyes all aflame, and it just ate Humpty Dumpty, leaving over some of the yolk—oh, its jaws are so messy!

I saw a few high contrails, and once a copter whiffled past a mile away at treetop level.

I was still admiring this view when something big and dark with lots of blue and red navigation lights whiffled overhead and disappeared over the ridge.

The Gi representative, RipRip Muml, whiffled its plumage in a gesture of libido suppression and sealed off four of its eight sensory circuits.

Dolwys whiffled as though startled, and I remembered that I was a water ox which would have been startled at such a sight and whiffled with him, hearing Izia’s voice, “Shaaa, shaaa, shaa, still now, nothing to bother about, my strong ones.

The bolt whiffled past Corporal Nobbs' ear and landed in the river, where it stuck.

The bolt whiffled past Corporal Nobbs’ ear and landed in the river, where it stuck.

The natives were beginning to get extremely restless, milling and seething and whiffling all around the ballroom deck as McIntosh and his crew continued taking names, addresses, and telephone numbers.

Blue stole into the pines ahead of her and curled up into an abject ball beside Dacey, whiffling a sigh out through his flews.

Only Blue stayed where he was, whiffling out another sigh and twitching his tail so it lay over his nose.