wibble

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪbəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪbəl

Etymology 1

Unclear; possibly originates in the British Roger Irrelevant comic strip, then popularised by Your Sinclair magazine and the comedy Blackadder.

Noun

wibble (uncountable)

1. (UK, slang) Meaningless or content-free chatter in a discussion; drivel, babble.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:chatter, Thesaurus:nonsense

Verb

wibble (third-person singular simple present wibbles, present participle wibbling, simple past and past participle wibbled)

1. (UK, slang) To make meaningless comments.
   • 2016, Seduced and Abandoned: Essays on Gay Men and Popular Music, Richard Smith, page 32:

     Do you remember at school how you'd always get double geography last thing on a Friday afternoon? There's you and all these kids who are only interested in the weekend and each other, and standing in front of them is some old guy with a beard and a CND badge wibbling on about water tables.

Etymology 2

See wobble.

Verb

wibble (third-person singular simple present wibbles, present participle wibbling, simple past and past participle wibbled)

1. (ambitransitive) To wobble.
   • 2019 June, Suzanne Nelson, A Tale Magnolious, New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 36:

     Now his fingertips were tapping in addition to his toe-bouncing, until soon his entire body was wibbling in jumping-bean fashion. “Old Mag, you say?” He peered around Nitty at Mag, and Mag took the opportunity to inspect his mask and goggles with her trunk. The boy quit wibbling, stood stock-still, and gulped.

Derived terms

• wibbly

Related terms

• wibble-wobble