Obs. exc. dial. [See TWATTLE sb.1]
1. intr. To talk idly or trivially; to chatter, babble, tattle, prate.
In later use passing into sense of TWADDLE v.1
1573, 1586. [see TWATTLING ppl. a. 1, vbl. sb.].
1596. Nashe, Saffron Walden, Wks. (Grosart), III. 204. In that he twatleth, it had bin better to haue confuted Martin by Reuerend Cooper than such leuitie.
a. 1620. J. Dyke, Sel. Serm. (1640), 34. Talking and twatling with other idle persons.
1685. J. Dunton, Lett. fr. New-Eng. (1867), 7. By that time I could move my Tongue, it would be twattling of Forreign Countrys.
a. 1800. Pegge, Suppl. Grose, Twattle, to prattle and tell idle tales. Lanc.
1833. Sarah Austin, Charac. Goethe, I. 118. He [Mephistopheles] argues, dogmatizes, and twattles right and left.
1845. S. Judd, Margaret, II. ii. How I twattled, skurried!
1877–. in dialect glossaries (Yorksh., E. Anglia, Cornw.).
b. trans. To utter or tell idly.
1577. Stanyhurst, Descr. Irel., vi. in Holinshed, I. 20/2. Such fables [are] twitled, such vntrue reportes twatled. Ibid. (1582), Æneis, II. (Arb.), 46. No gloasing fabil I twattle. Ibid., IV. 101. As true tales vaynelye toe twattle.
1660. Charac. Italy, 10. He [the Pope] it is, yet causeth whatsoever he parrot[s], (or if you will have it Anagrammatically) praterlike twattles, to pass for Bullion, and current.
a. 1688. Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.), Chances, Wks. (1714), 149. I heard her grave Conductress twattle something as they went along.
c. with prep. To bring or get by chattering or gossiping.
1692. R. L’Estrange, Fables, cclxxvii. (1715), II. 266. Are you not a fine Gossiping Lady … to twattle your Husband thus out of his Life and Fortune?
2. intr. To sound, make a noise. (See also TWATTLING ppl. a. 2.) vulgar.
1664. Cotton, Scarron., I. 15. The Winds burst out with such a rattle, As he had broke the strings that twattle.
3. trans. To pat, fondle, make much of. dial.
Perh. not the same word.
1790. Grose, Provinc. Gloss. (ed. 2). Twattle, to pat, to make much of, as horses, cows, dogs. North.
1825. Brockett, N. C. Words, Twattle, to pat, to make much of, to fondle.
