sidle

[sahyd-l] /ˈsaɪd l/
verb (used without object), sidled, sidling.
1.
to move sideways or obliquely.
2.
to edge along furtively.
noun
3.
a sidling movement.
Origin
1690-1700; back formation from sideling (earlier spelling sidling misconstrued as present participle of a verb ending in -le)
Related forms
sidlingly, adverb
unsidling, adjective
Examples from the web for sidle
  • The thief would sidle up to its relative quietly in an effort to get at the food.
  • Consumer spending will no more than sidle ahead, and fixed investment will continue to decline.
  • Moments with dialogue are brief and easy to sidle around.
  • At this intersection, mightier than mine, the cars sidle up three abreast.
  • Actual pro wrestlers sidle up to taunt the new meat.
  • But the new ads sidle right up to the edges of guidelines governing the content of underwriter messages.
  • The buildings sidle up to the sidewalk, reaching out to engage a street shaded by trees.
  • If you shine a spotlight on one, it will sidle off to somewhere darker.
  • In one episode he puttered around a swamp inside an artificial hippo, so he could sidle up close to the real wildlife.
  • First you sidle to the left, then you switch across the slope and sidle to the right.
British Dictionary definitions for sidle

sidle

/ˈsaɪdəl/
verb (intransitive)
1.
to move in a furtive or stealthy manner; edge along
2.
to move along sideways
noun
3.
a sideways movement
Derived Forms
sidler, noun
Word Origin
C17: back formation from obsolete sideling sideways
Word Origin and History for sidle
v.

"to move or go sideways," 1690s, back-formation from obsolete Middle English sidlyng (adv.) "obliquely, sideways; aslant; laterally" (early 14c., perhaps in Old English), from side (n.) + adverbial suffix -ling; altered on analogy of verbs ending in -le. Related: Sidled; sidling. Old English had sidlingweg (n.) "sidelong-way, oblique road."