X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f996b,e8470c5f258a7b1a X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-06-10 07:49:45 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.fjserv.net!kibo.news.demon.net!news.demon.co.uk!demon!omba.demon.co.uk!Jeremy From: Jeremy C B Nicoll Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art Subject: Re: [OT] Poe on Diddling Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 09:34:32 +0100 Organization: None - home Lines: 17 Message-ID: <4c0048d39eJeremy@omba.demon.co.uk> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: omba.demon.co.uk X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 1055256584 24723 158.152.58.5 (10 Jun 2003 14:49:44 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2003 14:49:44 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: Pluto/3.03h (RISC-OS/3.70) Xref: archiver1.google.com alt.ascii-art:23581 In article , Eli the Bearded <*@eli.users.panix.com> wrote: > Edgar Allen Poe's writtings on "Diddling" seem to indicate a much > different meaning of the word from present use. > "Diddling" by Edgar Allen Poe > http://www.literatureclassics.com/etexts/104/177/ Dictionary gives: cajole, swindle, waste time, dawdle...., or (in Scotland, where I am), mouth music I always assumed that the diddle as used here was slang, probably derived from the term "doodle" ie casual scribbling of pictures -- Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.