diddly

plural diddlies · alternative tiddley

1. countableinformaluncountableA small amount of no worth.

   They head down the mountain, back to base camp, and when they get there they don't say diddly. They don't talk. Not a word, like they're deaf and dumb.

   1990, Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried

   Synonyms: ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental, bit

alternative tiddely · alternative tiddly · alternative tiddledy · alternative tiddley

1. A written representation of a trill sound.

   ...When combined with the following picked note, this gives a rhythmic 'diddly-dum' effect.

   2005, Gordon Giltrap, Total Giltrap: Guitar Encounters of the Fingerstyle Kind

   2 more examples

   On the handcar mornings or evenings he would amuse his companion by pumping away to a triple-tongued pattern, which he would hum emphatically as they rolled along: "dum diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly dee dee-dum dum diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly dee..."

   1993, Hugh Hood, Be sure to close your eyes: a novel

   It's easy enough for him to go “diddly-diddly-diddly-dum” a thousand and one times, whereas with me it's “diddly-diddly-diddly- omigodIcan'tbreathe-dum!”)

   2008, Kristie Theobald, Irish Angels

plural diddlies

1. childishslangsometimespenis

   "My child is going to be taught all about sex as soon as he can understand. Mother-in-law is always clucking to him about his diddly. No, no, I say, you must call it penis."

   1968, Monica Dickens, The Landlord's Daughter, Doubleday & Company, page 268

   Synonyms: anaconda, baloney pony, bald-headed hermit, banana, bird, birdie, bobby, boonga