Green’s Dictionary of Slang

toddle v.

also toddle along, toddle off
[Vaux cites toddle as ‘Und.’ in 1812, but OED says SE; Partridge suggests that only upper-class 20C+ use is colloq.]

1. to move, to walk, to go or leave; thus toddling n.

[Scot]A. Ramsay Tea-table Misc. (1733) II 154: When todlen hame, todlen hame, When round as a neep ye come todlen hame. [Ibid.] 454: Todlen, a rolling short step.
[Scot]S. Johnson in Boswell Life (1906) II 463: I should like to come and have a cottage in your park, toddle about, live mostly on milk and be taken care of by Mrs. Boswell.
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn).
[UK]‘Thomas Brown’ Fudge Family in Paris letter III 26: Here toddles along some old figure of fun.
[UK]J. Burrowes Life in St George’s Fields 9: Away they toddled, and in a few minutes were within the strong wall.
[UK] ‘The Slap-Up Cracksman’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 42: Then lush — and throw the cat out light, / And toddle with your mot.
[US]Ely’s Hawk & Buzzard (NY) Aug. 31 n.p.: ‘My dear come lets toddle’.
[UK]Punch 17 July I 7: Saying which, I toddled off for Wellington-street.
[Aus]Bell’s Life in Sydney 18 Nov. 3/3: No sooner had she entered the shop than a young lady requested her ‘to cut her stick and toddle’.
[US]W.K. Northall Life and Recollections of Yankee Hill 82: Just as the coach was leaving, the old lady toddled up to the coach door and called out to Mr. Hill.
[UK]R.S. Surtees Young Tom Hall (1926) 182: I s’pose we must shut up — we must be toddlin’ homewards.
[UK]Wild Boys of London I 157/1: Let’s toddle horf at wonce, helse we shall have to wait for the second ’ouse.
[Ind]‘Aliph Cheem’ Lays of Ind (1905) 173: With the help of his bearer, to bed he would toddle.
[UK]Five Years’ Penal Servitude 247: She toddled along as if there was nothing but herself inside her togs.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 28 Feb. 6/2: He had seen all the great actors from the time he could toddle to Drury Lane or Covent Garden.
[UK]W.S. Gilbert ‘The Precocious Baby’ Fifty ‘Bab’ Ballads 63: A month from to-day / Is as long as I’ll stay – / Then I’d wish, if you please, for to toddle away.
[Aus]Dead Bird (Sydney) 22 Nov. 5/3: ‘You rorty ass,’ the Hartist said; ‘Now toddle;’ / I’ve just engaged Miss Horo as a model’.
[UK]E.W. Rogers [perf. Vesta Tilley] Only a Pair of Shoes 🎵 She’d suspicions in her noddle, off to Brum that night did toddle.
[US]Overland Monthly (CA) May 483: I must toddle up to Freeman’s and look after my boxes.
[US]‘Hugh McHugh’ Down the Line 41: His three-year-old toddled down the aisle and grabbed him by the coat-tail.
[UK]D. Cotsford Society Snapshots 69: The Gardenia: Come out and have a cigarette. The Carnation. Thanks, I’m toddling.
[Aus]Bulletin Reciter 1880-1901 201: Suppose you must be toddling, if you promised Kate.
[US]H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 107: Guess I’ll toddle into the sleeper and get a snooze.
[UK]Gem 17 Oct. 19: Then suppose you toddle along, and don’t interfere with me!
C.J. Dennis ‘The Old Master’ in Bulletin 4 Aug. 13/1: And he toddles up to Mitchell. ‘Here,’ says he, ‘gimme that whip.’.
[Ire]Joyce ‘The Dead’ Dubliners (1956) 175: Kate and Julia came toddling down the dark stairs at once.
[US]S. Ford Shorty McCabe on the Job 52: ‘I’m an hour late at the Boomer Days’ as it is.’ ‘Then toddle along,’ says I.
[NZ]‘Anzac’ On the Anzac Trail 59: I toddled in by way of a row of butchers’ booths and fruitsellers’ stalls.
[UK]Butterfly and Firefly 23 Nov. 8: He threw the photo at me and toddled off.
[UK]Wodehouse ‘Jeeves and the Hard-Boiled Egg’ in My Man Jeeves [ebook] ‘Ripping! I’ll be toddling up, then. Toodle-oo, Bertie, old man’.
[US]S. Lewis Arrowsmith 251: Well, ta, ta, be good; gotta toddle along.
[UK]Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves 12–13: It wasn’t till nearly four that he toddled out of the library with the parcel under his arm, put it on the table, and toddled off again.
[Aus](con. WWI) L. Mann Flesh in Armour 265: ‘I must toddle; good-bye’.
[UK]Film Fun 8 Sept. 1: He toddled forward and grabbed hold of one or two of those boxes [...] Off he toddled with the damsel.
[UK]F. Durbridge Send for Paul Temple (1992) 153: ‘Oh, well,’ he said, ‘I must be toddling!’.
[Aus] in A. Marshall These Are My People (1957) 145: I could see the best thing I could do was toddle, so I rolled up and snatched it.
[UK]J. Maclaren-Ross Swag, the Spy and the Soldier in Lehmann Penguin New Writing No. 26 35: Little Eva, his daughter, aged two, toddled in from the passage.
[UK]Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 157: Aunt Dahlia’s butler, who came toddling in.
[UK]J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 213: You won’t think me rude if I toddle along?
[UK]‘Frank Richards’ Billy Bunter at Butlins 172: Toddle along for one of those chairs, if you want one.
[Aus]P. White Burnt Ones 163: Where have the old boys toddled off to?
[UK]R. Rendell Best Man To Die (1981) 12: Let’s be toddling, Jack.
[UK]‘P.B. Yuill’ Hazell and the Three-card Trick (1977) 84: The green van toddling along at a steady forty.
[UK]P. Bailey An English Madam 95: He just toddles off to another room.
[Aus]G. Disher Paydirt [ebook] ‘Well, if you’ve finished for the day you might as well toddle off home’.
[UK]Guardian G2 11 Oct. 5: We watch him pick up the hat and toddle off.
[Ire]F. Mac Anna Cartoon City 222: ‘There’s drinks tonight in the Nerve to celebrate. Are you coming?’ [...] ‘I suppose I’ll toddle along.’.
[Aus]L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] ‘Toddled off down Fitzroy Street’.
[UK] (ref. to 1971) F. Dennis ‘Old Bailey’ Homeless in my Heart 182: [The judge] sends the jury out to brood / And toddles off for his port...
[UK]K. Sampson Killing Pool 18: Terry Connolly will toddle off to the loo.

2. (UK Und.) to bring before.

[UK]‘Poll Tomkinson’ in Convivialist in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 14: For the robin by a red breast he vos took avay / [...] / And afore the Beak vos toddled next day.

In derivatives