[f. TWADDLE sb.; or perh. altered, like it, from TWATTLE v.]
1. intr. To utter twaddle; to talk or write in a silly, empty, or trashy style.
1825. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 15. Pope … beats them hollow. Catch him twaddling.
1831. Scott, Jrnl., 14 Feb. I am afraid I am twaddling.
1862. Thackeray, Round. Papers, Dessein’s. ‘What is that old fellow twaddlin’ about?’ cries Brummel.
2. trans. To utter as twaddle, or in a trashy and prosy way.
1837. Prescott, in Ticknor, Life (1864), 271, note. They twaddle out their humour as if they were afraid of its biting too hard.
1850. Carlyle, Latter-d. Pamph., viii. (1872), 273. You are not bound to … twaddle pretended raptures.
1900. Westm. Gaz., 19 Jan., 7/1. Instead of twaddling out platitudes.
b. with away: To spend or pass in empty talk.
1826. Scott, Jrnl., 11 April. We twaddled away the evening well enough.
