piddle
To putter, dawdle, or waste time on little stuff.
Also called piddle around, piddlin'.
Updated September 24, 2026
piddle pronunciation
/PID-uhl/
Meaning
Most days around the farm or workshop, piddle means fooling with small chores instead of the big job. Somebody piddlin' in the shed might be sharpening a knife, rearranging bolts, or just killing time. It can sound like a scolding ("quit piddlin' around") or a soft confession ("I been piddlin' in the garden"). Same word can also mean to urinate, usually kid talk or polite cover.
How folks use it
- “Quit piddlin' around and help me unload this hay.”
- “I spent the morning just piddlin' in the garage.”
Origin and etymology
Older English piddle meant to trifle or mess with unimportant things. DARE notes it strong across Midland and Southern speech for dawdling and puttering. Rural Southern talk kept that sense alive; the bathroom meaning rides alongside it as a soft synonym for pee.
Frequently asked questions
Does piddle always mean wasting time?
Not always. Plenty of folks who are "just piddlin'" are still getting little jobs done. They are just not in a hurry about it.