Ickle is a little word — literally, it means ‘little’ — that came to my notice while reading recently, and it’s one of those pieces of vocabulary that isn’t terribly useful but is somehow incredibly fun.
Ickle.
Saying it is a delight — the throaty /k/ followed by the tongue-on-teeth /l/ — as, I think, would be using it.
I’d be unlikely to use this word (correctly), however. Unless I was writing a limerick. Or engaging in British baby talk. (It’s derived from British baby talk, by the way. Which is why, when used by a baby, it’s endearing. And when it’s used by a non-baby, it’s kind of a way of calling someone a ‘baby’. Think: 10-year-olds speaking derogatorily to their 7-year-old siblings.)
Essentially, this little word meaning ‘little’ is a little bit insulting. If you’re a little bugger yourself, but bigger than any little britches you might be elder to.
Americans, supposedly, once used ‘ickle’ as a miniaturized term for ‘icicle’. (This, according to Webster.)
But personally, I’m inclined to invent my own definition for words like this.
When seen in context, these “…?…” words are easy enough to figure out.
But without context?
I think it would be fun to hold a Definitive ChallengeTM over without-context odd-sounding words. Like a spelling bee, but for creative definitions.
Imagine:
Announcer: Define ‘ickle’
Contestant #1: the act of licking a dirty icicle
Contestant #2: an already-bitten-into pickle
Contestant #3: my uncle Eustace
(Along these lines, ‘negligee’ might be assumed to mean ‘entering a room with an air of negligence’ or ‘neglecting to spray for earwigs’.)
A n y w a y
Ickle.
Have a little fun with it. 😉
.
Letter I
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My first impression is related to the “ick” part of the word, as in “yuck!”
Beth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/
Beth Lapin recently posted…Education
Yes, it definitely seems like it *should* mean something yucky. 🙂
Why not go with that and combine it with the other association to ‘pickle’? You know when you sometimes get one of those pickles that have gone soft in the jar? They’re preserved but mushy and unappealing instead of crisp. Ickle.
How fun. Bonus points because you’ve taught me a new word, and I never would have guessed its meaning. When called on, I’d likely say: A sickle that’s lost its head.”
Hahaha! 😀 Great definition! 🙂
I often get a kick out of reading books written by British or Australian authors because they have some really crazy words and phrases in their vocabulary. Like the first time I ran into the word, “kerb” and, okay – what the heck is that? Oh, it’s their version of “curb.” Or “taking the piss,” which doesn’t mean going to the bathroom. Or every time I see the word “boot,” my mind immediately goes to footwear and “bonnet” makes me think of women’s hats.
Some words and phrases are just fun to say…
Yes! It’s like… I (the reader) speak English and you (the writer) speak English, but we are definitely speaking two different languages!
I remember it took me a really long time to figure out that ‘jumper’ meant ‘sweater’. To me, a jumper was a romper or a specific kind of bib-overall dress. So I’d read, at age 7, that a character put on *his* jumper and was like, “Hmmnnh. Well, that’s different.” *laugh*
I can almost hear the baby talk or the derogatory tone when using the word “ickle”. Funny how my computer keeps changing it to “tickle”.
Linda Curry recently posted…E for England’s Green and Pleasant Land
Ha! Yes, autocorrect is my nemesis. 😉
Love your idea of a Definitive challenge…could be a good fun thing to do at a party. Yes, ickle is a word I’m familiar with but can’t recall using, certainly any time recently.
And yes English is a language that we share, in theory but often not in reality. With so much US TV, Aussies have learned to be bilingual. And we do get a laugh when our expressions confuse others 🙂 A friend was recently put off by “rellies” = families (relatives)
Rellies… I notice a lot of -ies words in Aussie English. I think I recently read another Australian blogger who used “lollies” in her post. I have no idea what that means! *laugh*
Lollies mean candies. Brits use this word too.
Once I did an extensive research of the Australian slang for a character. Every second slang word has either -ie (brekkie, barbie, pressie, even Chrissie) or -o (arvo, avo, servo, smoko) at the end. That was fun!
Sore is more recently posted…N is for Nothing
Ohhhh… Okay, like short for lollipop! Right-o. *laugh*
ickle: a single spot of the parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis on a fish.
usage: “I knew my fish had ick (also spelled ‘ich’) when I spotted a small ickle on its back.”
Poor icky fishy!
I though of a half-eaten pickle too. And for some reason it reminded me of Upsy-daisy, maybe because it’s also British baby talk 🙂
Thanks for visiting my blog!! I’m churning one short spanking story a day, for each letter. All these were written for A to Z:
https://soreismore.blogspot.com/2023/04/f-is-for-fantasy.html
https://soreismore.blogspot.com/2023/04/e-is-for-enter.html
https://soreismore.blogspot.com/2023/04/c-is-for-crying-and-corner-and-not-cane.html
and so on…
Sore is more recently posted…F is for Fantasy
I learned/used that term as a kid, but as oopsie-daisy.
Ha, I like your definitions. Have you never played the Dictionary Game? If not, sounds like it would be right up your alley.
Good Golden Galloping Guide
Do you mean the game Balderdash? If so, I have played it. But it’s been a really long time! 🙂
Hahaa, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post!!!
Stopping by from A-Z,
Dream
‘Ickle’ is a cute, ickle word. 😉
I agree. 🙂