tweedle-
(ˈtwiːd(ə)l)
the stem of tweedle v.1, employed in combination with other elements (see below) to denote the action of the verb, or a high-pitched musical sound; chiefly in the humorous phrase tweedledum and tweedledee, in the earliest example used in reference to two rival musicians (whence the fig. sense: see b); tweedledee and tweedledum (also tweedle-dum), used to suggest the contrast or combination of the sounds of high- and low-pitched musical instruments; hence in quot. 1792 attrib. = musical (obs.); tweedle-dee, tweedle-dum, a high-, or a low-pitched instrument, or one who plays it; in quots. 1785, 1806, 1826, a fiddler (obs.); tweedle-tweedle, the action or practice of tweedling; music, harmony (obs.).
| 1725 Byrom Handel & Bononcini Poems 1773 I. 344 Strange all this Difference should be, 'Twixt Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee! 1769 Trinculo's Trip 47 Squeeking fife and rumbling drum, Tweedle dee—and tweedle dum. 1785 Burns Jolly Beggars Recit. vi, He taks the fiddler by the beard, And draws a roosty rapier—..Wi' ghastly ee, poor tweedle⁓dee Upon his hunkers bended. 1786 Wolcott (P. Pindar) Bozzy & Piozzi 70 Great in the noble art of tweedle-tweedle. 1792 ― Odes Condol. i. 61 No longer on the tweedle-dum account..Those Men of Taste and Music joyful greet. 1804 J. Collins (title) Scripscrapologia; or Collins's Doggerel Dish of All Sorts. Consisting of Songs..which may be sung without..the ravishing Accompaniments of Tweedle-dum or Tweedle-dee. 1805 A. Grant in Campbell Mem. & Corr. (1844) I. 59 Two hours of tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee were too much for me. 1806 Lamb Let. to Manning 5 Dec., Mary and I are to sit next the orchestra in the pit, next the tweedledees. 1826 F. Reynolds Life & Times II. 288 Two ordinary violin players..quarrelled..to such a pitch, that each tweedle-dum offered the opposing tweedle-dee, to play him for his whole year's salary. |
b. fig., usually in phrase tweedledee and tweedledum, two things or parties the difference between which is held to be insignificant. Also attrib.
| 1851 Thackeray Eng. Hum. v. (1876) 304 Swift could not see the difference between tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum. 1871 J. O. Brookfield Influence I. 76 Do you believe in tweedledee or in tweedledum? 1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. x. 218 To the ears of Mopsy and Dopsy it was all tweedledum, and tweedledee. 1885 Spectator 24 Jan. 119/2 By no effort of the mind can we separate tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee. 1886 Pall Mall G. 29 Sept. 2/2 The general public need have no special objection to half-pay officers and local Bumbles spending their superfluous time and money in Tweedledum and Tweedledee quarrels. 1889 Spectator 14 Dec. 850 The political instinct..which leads Lord Randolph..to discover a Tory Tweedledee for the Radical Tweedle⁓dum. 1911 Chr. Endeavour Times 10 Aug. 724/1 A..war of words over tweedledees of subtle doctrinal differences and tweedledums of Church polity. |
Hence tweedle-ˈdee v. intr., to play or sing in a high-pitched tone; also, to play idly; to tweedle.
| 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. i. vi, While right-arms here grew weary of slaying, right-arms there were twiddledeeing on melodious catgut. 1873 W. Morris in Mackail Life (1899) I. 299 A sandy-haired German tenor tweedledeeing over the unspeakable woes of Sigurd! |