# tickle

Pronunciation: say "TIK-uhl" /ˈtɪkl̩/

## Verb

1. To touch or stroke someone lightly and repeatedly, usually causing laughter, pleasure, or twitching.
   - Simple: To touch someone's skin lightly again and again so they laugh or wriggle.
   - _He tickled his daughter's ribs, and she shrieked with laughter._
   - _Grandparents always tickle the little ones until they squeal._
2. To cause delight or amusement in someone, often through something funny or charming.
   - Simple: To make someone feel happy, amused, or pleased.
   - _The pun tickled everyone at the dinner table._
   - _Quirky little details like that tickle me no end._
5. To appeal to someone's taste, curiosity, or other interest, drawing their attention.
   - Simple: To make someone interested or curious about something.
   - _The proposal tickled the investors' interest immediately._
   - _Exotic spices tickle the palate of adventurous diners._
6. To have a sensation in a body part as though it were being tickled.
   - Simple: When a part of your body feels as if something is tickling it.
   - _Bare feet often tickle when sand shifts beneath them._
   - _Her nose tickled just before she sneezed._
7. To experience a feeling of pleasurable excitement, as a stirring or thrill within oneself.
   - Simple: To feel a pleasant, exciting kind of stirring inside.
   - _Audiences tickle at the promise of a scandalous reveal._
   - _Her imagination tickled at the thought of distant travel._
8. To catch a fish by hand, usually in a river or stream, by gently stroking its fins or underside until it can be grabbed.
   - Simple: To catch a fish with your bare hands by gently rubbing it in the water.
   - _Old country folk could tickle trout without any tackle at all._
   - _He tickled a pike in the reeds near the bank._

## Noun

3. The action or instance of touching someone lightly to produce laughter, pleasure, or twitching.
   - Simple: The act of touching someone lightly to make them laugh or wriggle.
   - _One tickle under the arm and he collapsed into giggles._
   - _She gave the puppy a gentle tickle behind the ears._
4. An itchy or prickling sensation similar to the feeling produced by being tickled.
   - Simple: An itchy feeling, like the one you get when someone tickles you.
   - _A persistent tickle at the back of her throat kept her awake._
   - _He rubbed his nose to chase away the tickle._
9. A light tap of the ball, especially one deflecting it gently off the bat. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A soft tap of the bat that sends the ball gently off to one side.
   - _A delicate tickle down the leg side earned them two runs._
   - _His late tickle past the keeper drew applause from the stands._
10. A narrow strait or channel of water, such as one between an island and the shore. *(dialectal, Newfoundland)*
   - Simple: A narrow channel of water, such as the one between an island and the coast.
   - _Fishing boats navigated the tickle carefully to avoid the rocks._
   - _A strong current ran through the narrow tickle at the harbor mouth._

## Adverb

11. In an insecure or precarious manner; so as to be unstable or easily upset. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In an unsteady, risky way, not firmly fixed.

## Verb

12. To be filled with excitement or gladness; to be cheered and heartened. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To feel suddenly excited, cheered, or full of good spirits.
   - _The villagers' spirits tickle at the return of spring._
   - _Her heart tickled to hear the old songs again._

## Adjective

13. Apt to change suddenly and on a whim, and therefore unsteady and insecure. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Likely to change at any moment, and not steady or to be trusted.

## Origin

From Middle English tiklen, of uncertain origin. It is perhaps a frequentative form of Middle English tikken ('to touch lightly'), essentially tick plus -le, or perhaps related to Old English tinclian ('to tickle'). Another possibility is that it comes from a metathetic alteration of Middle English kitelen ('to tickle').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tickle (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).