Definition

Noun: 1. A very small fish, especially a stickleback or minnow: This is the primary meaning, referring to a tiny fish, often one caught by children. 2. A young child: A British English colloquial term for a small or young child. 3. Something very small or insignificant: Used informally to describe any object or thing that is notably small in size or importance.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Small Fish):
  • He spent the afternoon catching tiddlers in the stream with a net.
  • The pond was full of tiny tiddlers.
• Noun (Young Child):
  • The older kids looked after the little tiddlers in the playground.
  • How are your tiddlers? (Meaning: How are your young children?)
• Noun (Small Thing):
  • My prize was just a tiddler compared to the grand trophy.
  • That's a tiddler of a problem; we can fix it easily.

Advanced Usage

• "A tiddler of a...": Used as an intensifier to emphasize how small something is.
  • He lives in a tiddler of a flat in the city centre.

Variants and Related Words

• Tiddly (adj, informal British English): Very small. (e.g., ).
• Tiddlywinks (n): A game involving trying to flip small discs into a cup, unrelated in meaning but sharing the root suggesting smallness.

Synonyms

• Tiny: Extremely small.
• Youngster: A young person.
• Minnow: A small freshwater fish (specific synonym for the fish meaning).
• Tot: A very young child.

Notes on Meaning

The word 'tiddler' is primarily British and informal. Its core meaning relates to small size, which applies to fish, children, or objects. It is a friendly, often affectionate term, especially when referring to children.

Noun

1. a young person of either sex
   • she writes books for children
   • they're just kids
   • `tiddler' is a British term for youngster