*idle*

a. Unavoidable; inevitable. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. disinclined to work or exertion.
Syn. -- do-nothing(prenominal), faineant, indolent, lazy, otiose, shiftless, slothful, workshy, work-shy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. bridel, AS. bridel; akin to OHG. britil, brittil, D. breidel, and possibly to E. braid. Cf. Bridoon. ] 1. The head gear with which a horse is governed and restrained, consisting of a headstall, a bit, and reins, with other appendages. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A restraint; a curb; a check. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Gun.) The piece in the interior of a gun lock, which holds in place the tumbler, sear, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Naut.) (a) A span of rope, line, or chain made fast as both ends, so that another rope, line, or chain may be attached to its middle. (b) A mooring hawser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bowline bridle. See under Bowline. --
Branches of a bridle. See under Branch. --
Bridle cable (Naut.), a cable which is bent to a bridle. See 4, above. --
Bridle hand, the hand which holds the bridle in riding; the left hand. --
Bridle path,
Bridle way, a path or way for saddle horses and pack horses, as distinguished from a road for vehicles. --
Bridle port (Naut.), a porthole or opening in the bow through which hawsers, mooring or bridle cables, etc., are passed. --
Bridle rein, a rein attached to the bit. --
Bridle road. (a) Same as Bridle path. Lowell. (b) A road in a pleasure park reserved for horseback exercise. --
Bridle track, a bridle path. --
Scolding bridle. See Branks, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- A check; restrain. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bridled p. pr. & vb. n. Bridling ] 1. To put a bridle upon; to equip with a bridle; as, to bridle a horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist. Drake. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To restrain, guide, or govern, with, or as with, a bridle; to check, curb, or control; as, to bridle the passions; to bridle a muse. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Savoy and Nice, the keys of Italy, and the citadel in her hands to bridle Switzerland, are in that consolidation. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To check; restrain; curb; govern; control; repress; master; subdue. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To hold up the head, and draw in the chin, as an expression of pride, scorn, or resentment; to assume a lofty manner; -- usually with up. “His bridling neck.” Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

By her bridling up I perceived she expected to be treated hereafter not as Jenny Distaff, but Mrs. Tranquillus. Tatler. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Arch.) A strong flat bar of iron, so bent as to support, as in a stirrup, one end of a floor timber, etc., where no sufficient bearing can be had; -- called also stirrup and hanger. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who bridles; one who restrains and governs, as with a bridle. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To move sidewise, as a crab. [ Jocular ]. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Idler superl. Idlest. ] [ OE. idel, AS. īdel vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. īdal, D. ijdel, OHG. ītal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw. idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. &unr_; clear, pure, &unr_; to burn. Cf. Ether. ] 1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. “Deserts idle.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt. xii. 36. [ 1913 Webster ]

Down their idle weapons dropped. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

This idle story became important. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours. [ 1913 Webster ]

The idle spear and shield were high uphing. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why stand ye here all the day idle? Matt. xx. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Light-headed; foolish. [ Obs. ] Ford. [ 1913 Webster ]

Idle pulley (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not used to transmit power. --
Idle wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others, to transfer motion from one to the other without changing the direction of revolution. --
In idle, in vain. [ Obs. ] “God saith, thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in idle.” Chaucer.

Syn. -- Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent; sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile; frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant. -- Idle, Indolent, Lazy. A propensity to inaction is expressed by each of these words; they differ in the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of movement or effort; idle is opposed to busy, and denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Idled p. pr. & vb. n. Idling ] To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Foolish; stupid. [ Obs. ] “The superstitious idle-headed eld.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Delirious; infatuated. [ Obs. ] L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. īdelnes. ] The condition or quality of being idle (in the various senses of that word); uselessness; fruitlessness; triviality; inactivity; laziness.

Syn. -- Inaction; indolence; sluggishness; sloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Idle-headed; stupid. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who idles; one who spends his time in inaction; a lazy person; a sluggard. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) One who has constant day duties on board ship, and keeps no regular watch. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mach.) An idle wheel or pulley. See under Idle.

{ } n. Idleness. [ Archaic ] “In ydlesse.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

And an idlesse all the day
Beside a wandering stream. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no lid, or not covered with the lids, as the eyes; hence, sleepless; watchful. [ 1913 Webster ]

A lidless watcher of the public weal. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Sidled p. pr. & vb. n. Sidling ] [ From Side. ] To go or move with one side foremost; to move sidewise; as, to sidle through a crowd or narrow opening. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

He . . . then sidled close to the astonished girl. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) (a) The wren. (b) The goldcrest. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + bridle. ] To free from the bridle; to set loose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. un- not + bridled. ] Loosed from the bridle, or as from the bridle; hence, unrestrained; licentious; violent; as, unbridled passions. “Unbridled boldness.” B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lands deluged by unbridled floods. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Un*bri"dled*ness, n. Abp. Leighton. [1913 Webster]