tickle 
Secret liiUKhter tii-liti'il :ill my *..n). 
'r>'iui><H>t, I'rineeaa, Iv. 
3. To take, move, or produce liv touching light- 
ly. [Kai-e. | 
Nimble Tnni, Hiirniiinrd the Tup, 
For hi* pip.- without H peer, 
And could tickle Trcnchmorc up, 
As 'twould joy \..iii IM ; n i t<> hear. 
Drayt'iii, Shepherd'* Sirena. 
Tin- ciiiiniiiK nl'l put- . . . l.j.ik puas'a twofooU, 
And so out <i th rntlici-, ln> tirklrd his IMIIM. 
llyrutii. To R. L., Esquire. 
II, iiitrinin. 1. To feel titillation: as, his foot 
tickled. 2. To tingle pleasantly; thrill will, 
gratification or amusement. 
\\ ho. S.TUIK him, with secret joy therefore 
Did tickle inwiirilly in everie value. 
Xpensrr, Muiopotmos, 1. 394. 
What ..pinion will tin' managing of this alfair bring to 
my wisdom ! mv invention ////,/.* ith apprehension on't. 
lleaii. and t'l. , Thierry and Theodoret, ill. 2. 
In 1 1 illiiii: works of fancy, wits agree 
That nothing i/rfj. ~ like a simile. 
Gam*, quoted In W. Cooke'a Memoirs of S. Foote, 1. 107. 
3. To have an impatient or uneasy desire to 
do or to get something; itch ; tingle. 
The fingers of the Atheniens tided to aide and succour 
HarpaliiB. 1'iinll, tr. of Apophthegms of Erasmus, p. 318. 
I am glad the silly man is weake and old ; 
By heaucn, my flngers tieUe at his gold. 
Heywood, Four 1'rentlses of London (Works, II. 185). 
4. To produce the sensation of titillation, or 
the slight nervous excitement of a light touch 
on gome sensitive part. 
A feather or a rush drawn along the lip or cheek doth 
1 1 I'M, . whereas a thing more obtuse . . . -doth not. 
Bacon, Nat Hist, 766. 
ticklet (tik'l), a. [Early mod. E. also tide; < 
ME. tickle, tikel, tiki! ; < tickle, r. Not, as often 
supposed, a transposed form of kittle 1 , a.] Eas- 
ily moved; unsteady; unstable; inconstant. 
This world is now ful tikel sikerly. 
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, L 242. 
For some men be tickle of tongue, 
And play the blabs by kynde. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. 8.), p. 101. 
So I" 1 /' be the termes of mortall state. 
Spenser, F. Q., III. Iv. 28. 
I have set her heart upon as tickle a pin as the needle 
of a dial, that will never let it rest till it be In the right 
position. Chapman, Widow's Tears, 11. 2. 
Itut these wives, sir, are such tickle 
Tilings, not one hardly staid amongst a thousand. 
Shirley, The Brothers, II. 1. 
tickle (tik'l), M. [< tickle, r.] A light teasing 
touch in some sensitive part; a gentle tickling 
act or action. 
I gave her [a child] a little tickle ; and verily she began 
to laugh. R. D. Blackmore, Maid of Sker, v. 
tickle-braint (tik'1-bran), . One who lias a 
tickle or unsteady brain, as one intoxicated. 
Peace, good pint pot ; peace, good tickle-Drain. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., II. 4. 438. 
tickle-footedt (tik'l-fufed), <i. Uncertain ; in- 
constant; slippery. 
You were ever tickle-footed. 
Beau, and Fl., Scornful Lady, v. 
tickle-grass (tik'1-gras), . The hair-grass or 
thin-grass, Agrostis seabra; also, one of similar 
grasses, as the old-witch grass, Patiicum capil- 
lare. 
ticklenburgt (tik'len-berg), n. [Origin ob- 
scure.] A coarse mixed linen fabric made for 
the West India market. Simmonds. 
ticklenesst (tik'1-nes), . [< ME. tikelnesse ; 
< tickle, a.,+ -ness.'] Unsteadiness; instability; 
uncertainty. 
Hord hath hate and clymbynge tikelneue. 
Chaucer, Truth. 1. S. 
tickler (tik'ler), n. [< tickle + -!.] 1. One 
who or that which tickles or pleases. 2. 
Something which puzzles or perplexes; some- 
thing difficult to understand or answer ; a puz- 
zle. [Colloq.] 3. A narrow difficult passage 
or strait on the coast of Newfoundland. 4. 
A memorandum-book kept to tickle or refresh 
tin' memory; specifically, a book used by bank- 
ers, showing, in the order of their maturity, 
notes ami debts receivable by the bank. There 
is usually a tickler for each month of the year. 
[Colloq.] 
The ticHrrt, showing in detail debts receivable in the 
future, those past due. and also the overdrafts, require 
explanation by the president, llarjirr'x May., LXXX. 464. 
5. A small bottle containing about tall a pint 
(of spirits), or just enough to " tickle" ; also, a 
dram of whisky or brandy. [Colloq.] 
Whiskey was sold and drunk without s.-rrrns ..r scru- 
ples. It was not usually bought by the drink, but by the 
tickler. i ' Mail., I.XXIV : " 
S399 
It is too i-old to work, but it is not i.... .'..I. I I., nit on a 
I. lice .-I., u in;:, u ith :i I i !/./ f .if uhi-Ks hillidy. 
P,a-l,,i : iliHn /.V,..'V S, \\\IX. 77. 
6. A small wrapoii .-Mini-. I on the person, as a 
pistol or a knife. (Slan^r. Mint hern ami west- 
ern U. S.J 7. A strap with which to whip. 
8. A prong used by coopers to extract 
bungs from casks. 9. A large lougicorn bee- 
tlr, Miiiuiliiiiiiiiiux titilliitur, with extremely long 
antennas: so called from the habit it h.i 
common with most of the (tnimbycidse) of 
gently touching now ami then the surface on 
which it walks with the tips of its long an- 
tenna-. '/'. 1C. Harris. 
tickling (tik'Hng), n. [Verbal n. of tickle, r.] 
1. The act of one who tickles. 2. The sensa- 
tion produced by the teasing of slight touches 
on some sensitive part, or t he analogous sen- 
sation produced on the mind, the imagination, 
vanity, or the like by the presentation of some- 
thing pleasing, gratifying, ludicrous, etc. 
Delight hath a toy In It, either permanent or present. 
laughter hath onely a scornful ticniivj. 
Sir P. Sidney, Apol. for Poetrle. 
3. The act of stirring lightly : said humorously 
of the soil. 
Vegetable-gardens require only a ticktiity to bear pro- 
fuscly. The Critic, XV. 192. 
ticklish (tik'lish), a. [< tickle + -w*l.] 1. Eas- 
ily moved or unbalanced ; unsteady ; unstable ; 
uncertain ; inconstant. 
These Words, being considered of by the Judges, seemed 
to express a ticklinh Ilold of Loyalty. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 242. 
I think our office stands on very tirlrlinh terms, the Par- 
liament likely to sit shortly, and likely to be aaked more 
money, and we be able to give a very bad account of the 
expence and of what we have done with what they did 
give before. Pepyt, Diary, II. 364. 
We embarked in a little ticklith, incommodious pant, 
such as I have Been used on the Thames by worthy citi- 
zens bobbing for eels. B. Hall, Travels in X. A., I. 148. 
2. Dubious; difficult; critical. 
Princes had need, in tender matter and ticUM time, to 
beware what they say. 
l:nri,n, Seditions and Troubles (ed. 1887). 
The doctor would by no means let him blood, which, 
nevertheless, some hold might have saved his life ; but it 
is a ticklifh point. Court and Tima ../ Charlrt /., I. 818. 
Politics in those days were ticklith subjects to meddle 
with, even in the most private company. 
Mr*. Gaxkelt, Sylvia's Lovers, xiv. 
Not far from here [Eden Harbour] are the English Nar- 
rows, a passage which is a ticklifh but Interesting piece 
of navigation. Lady Bratney, Voyage of Sunbeam, I . Ix. 
3. Easily tickled ; tickly; touchy: as, the sole 
of the foot is very ticklish; a ticklish person. 
We aee also that the palme of the hand, though It hath 
as thin a skin as the other parts mentioned, yet is not 
tieklMi, because it is accustomed to be touched. 
Bacon, Nat. Hist, I 706. 
He 's as ticHuh as can be. I love to torment the con- 
founded toad ; let you and I tickle him. 
Wycherley, Country Wife, iv. 3. 
ticklishly (tik'lish-li), adv. In a ticklish man- 
ner. 
ticklishness (tik'lish-nes), n. Ticklish char- 
acter or quality, (a) The condition of being easily 
tickled. 
We know by the ticklishnetg of the soles what a mult I* 
tude of tine nervous fibres terminate In them. 
li. Cheiinr, Essay on Regimen, p. 200. (Latham.) 
(6) Unsteady, unstable, or insecure state or character : 
as, the tickluhneia of a seat or of a boat. <<> Difficulty ; 
difficult, perplexing, or critical character or state : as, the 
tickliihnett of some undertaking. 
tickly (tik'li), a. [< tickle + -yi.] Same as 
ttSaUi. 
tickseed (tik'sed), n. 1. A plant of the genus 
Coreopsis. 2. A plant of the genus Corisper- 
iinim, usually named bug-seed. 3. Same as tick- 
trefoil Tickseed sunflower, Cortojau trichotpcrma, 
a species with conspicuous golden-yellow rays, found In 
the eastern and Interior United States. 
tick-tack 1 (tik'tak), n. [Of. MD. Ndttedbm, play 
tick-tack, prob. orig. 'tick' or 'click,' IX}. tOac- 
takken, touch lightly; a varied reduplication 
of ticki, . Of. tick-tack* and tick-tock.~\ 1. A 
pulsating sound like that made by a clock or 
watch; a ticking. 2. Specifically, the sound 
of the beating of the heart. 
The stethoscope revealed the existence of no difficulty. 
... and the normal <fcA:-(<><* of the heart beat with healthy 
precision. J. il. Carnochan, Operative Surgery, p. 136. 
3. A device employed in playing certain prac- 
tical jokes, consisting of a small weight so fas- 
tened that one at a distance can. by pulling 
a string, cause the weight to tap against the 
house or window. [I". S. ] 
tick-tack 1 'tik'tak). iidr. [An elliptical use of 
lii'l,--t<icl:'l, n.\ With a sound resembling the 
lie it ting of a watch. 
tidal 
tick-tack- (tik'tak). n. [= F. tic-tile = |v. 
lii/in IIII/HI = I)iin. til.tnl:, proli. < W).*tiektiicl.'. 
I), tiktiik, tick-tack: prob. so called from the 
clicking noise made by the pieces, < MD. tirk- 
tiichn, I), iil.tiil.fo n. play tick-tack; prob. orig. 
'tick' or 'click': see tict;-tucl.-i. Hence, bv 
variation. Imi.-lnirl,. F. Irictnic.'] A COUipll- 
cated kind of backgammon, played both with 
men ami with pegs. Compare trii-l.-trncl:, ami 
see the third ((notation below. 
He'll play 
At fayles and lifklack. 
B. Jonion, Every Man In hit Humour, ill -'. 
From hence we went to the Groom Porters, where they 
were a Labouring like so many Anchor Smith* at the 
Oake, Back Gammon, Tide-Tacit. Irinh. Basset, and throw- 
ing of Mains, ({noted in Aihton'i Social Life In Reign of 
[Kueen Anne, II. 111. 
This is the plain game of tick-tack, which U so called 
from "touch and take," for If you touch a man yon must 
play him, though to your low. 
Coin/deal Oamater, p. 113. (Karen.) 
tick-tock (tik'tok), n. [An imitative redupli- 
cation of tick 1 , ft. tick 1 .] The slow recurrent 
ticking of a tall clock. [Colloq.] 
tick-trefoil (tik'tre'foil), w. A plant of the ge- 
nus lii-xiiindiiiiii : so named from the trifoliate 
leaves and the joints of the pods, which are ad- 
hesive like ticks. Several species have attracted at- 
tention in the southern United States as promising fodder 
and tolling plants. Also tickxetl. 
tickweed (tik'wed), n. The American penny- 
royal, Heilfoma pnlegioiiles. 
ticky (tik'i), H. Same as tacky*. 
Ticorea(ti-k6're-a),n. [NL.(Aublet,1775),from 
the native name in Guiana.] A genuti of plants, 
of the order Kutacea and tribe Cusfiarieee. It Is 
characterized by flowers with a short calyx and epipetalous 
stamens, some of whieh are sterile, while the others have 
appemlaged anther-cells. There are 3 species, natives of 
Brazil and Guiana. They are trees or shrubs vary ing great- 
ly in habit; their leaves or leaflets are pellucid-dotted 
and entire. The white, scarlet, or yellowish flowers form 
leafless panicles or cymes, which usually terminate the 
branchlets. Several species are used medicinally in Brazil, 
as T. jaxininijltjra ; and the bark of T. /ebrifnya, an In- 
tensely bitter astringent, is a native febrifuge. 
ticpolonga (tik-po-long'gft), H. [E. Ind.] A 
very venomous serpent of India and Ceylon : 
same as cobra-moiiil '. 
Ticuna poison (ti-ko'na poi'zn). An arrow- 
poison used by the Ticiuias and other Indian 
tribes dwelling near the Amazon. When given to 
animals it produces strong convulsions, lasting for hours. 
It probably contains picrotoxln, like other South American 
arrow-poisons. Watts's Diet, of Chcm. 
tid 1 (tid), M. [An obs. or dial, form (with short- 
ened vowel) of ttrfc 1 .] Fit or favorable season 
or condition: as, the land is in fine till for sow- 
ing ; hence, humor. [Scotch.] 
Summer fallow has enjoyed a most favourable tid for 
working, and has pulverized down into fine mould. 
The Scotsman. 
tid 2 (tid), . [Adial.var.oftt. 1 .] 1. Anudder; 
a teat. JProv. Eng.] 2. A small cock of hay. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
tld a (tid), a. [Origin obscure; cf. tidder, r.] 
Silly ; childish. [Prov. Eng.] 
tid 4 (tid), a. [Appar. a sham word, assumed 
to exist in Mint, and derived from the same 
source as that here given to tidder; but Mbit 
is a corruption of titbit.'} Tender; soft; nice. 
See the etymology. Imp. Diet. 
tid 6 t,rfr. Sameasttfc 1 . Halliicell. 
tidal (ti'dal), a. [<<fcl + -o/.] 1. Of or per- 
taining to a tide or the tides; subject to or 
characterized by a periodical rise and fall or 
ebb and flow: as, a tidnl river; tidal waters ; 
a tiilnl basin. 
We know that the temperature of comets Is Increased, 
chiefly, it has been supposed, by tidai action, as they ap- 
proach the sun. Nineteenth Century, XXVI. 794. 
2. Dependent on the tides: us. a tidal steamer 
(that is, a steamer the hour of whose departure 
is regulated by the state of the tide); tidal 
trains (that is, trains that run in connection 
with tidal steamers). 
Ascertaining first at what time during every evening 
of this month the filial trains from Dover and Folkestone 
reach the London Bridge terminus. 
W. Cottini, Armadale, T. S. 
Tidal air, the air which passes in and out in breathing, 
generally estimated at about 25 cubic inches at each 
respiration. See rctidual air, under <rir! . 
Asphyxia takes place whenever the proportion of car- 
bonic acid in tidal air reaches ten percent (the oxygen 
being diminished in like proportion). 
Ihnley and Youmant, Physiol., 1 127. 
Tidal alarm, a deviec for sounding an audible alarm, 
operated by the ebb and flow of tidal currents. It Is gen- 
erally attached to a buoy or veasel or to a post, to warn 
vessels off a dangerous locality, aa a shoal. K. //. Knight. 
Tidal basin, i <!. k Miichisflllcd athigh tide. /. // 
Kni^rht - Tidal crack, in arctic reKions, a crack or series 
of cracks in Ice along the shore, caused by tidal motion. 
