I. ˈrigəl verb
( wriggled ; wriggled ; wriggling -g(ə)liŋ ; wriggles )
Etymology: Middle English wrigglen, from or akin to Middle Low German wriggeln to wriggle; akin to Dutch wriggelen to jerk, squirm, Norwegian dialect rigla to totter, Old English wrigian to turn, go — more at wry
intransitive verb
1. : to move the body or a bodily part to and fro with short writhing motions like a worm : squirm , writhe
wriggled uncomfortably in his chair — Israel Zangwill
2. : to move or advance with short quick contortions or by twisting and turning : go sinuously : meander
wriggled up the narrow gap between the cliff and the ice — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin
the narrowest apertures were wide enough for him to wriggle through — R.M.Lovett
an alluvial river wriggling downhill — A.W.Baum
3. : to extricate or insinuate oneself or reach a goal by subtle maneuvering, equivocation, or ingratiation
careful to wriggle out of final opinions stated in quotable form — John Mason Brown
attempts to wriggle free from the moral obligation — John Burke
transitive verb
1. : to cause to move in short quick contortions : bring or set in motion by twisting or turning
dancing girls … wriggled their hips in sensuous contortions — Harrison Forman
2. : to introduce, insinuate, or bring into a state or place by or as if by wriggling
wriggled her little person out over their backs — F. Tennyson Jesse
languages can wriggle themselves … into another compartment in a fairly short span — A.L.Kroeber
3. : to proceed upon (one's way) by wriggling
using every handhold on the rock in front I wriggled … my way up — John Hunt & Edmund Hillary
II. noun
( -s )
1. : the action of wriggling : a short or quick writhing motion or contortion : a flection of the body
2. : a formation or marking of sinuous design : something having a sinuous course or appearance caused or as if caused by wriggling
the wavy ledges that once served as handles … degenerated to mere decorative wriggles — V.G.Childe
a wriggle of barbed wire … marks the line of schism — A.J.Liebling
3. : eyebrow 3