Whit"tle (?), n. [AS. hwtel, from hwit white; akin to Icel. hvtill a
white bed cover. See White.] (a) A grayish, coarse double blanket worn
by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a
cloak or shawl. C. Kingsley. (b) Same as Whittle shawl, below.
Whittle shawl, a kind of fine woolen shawl, originally and especially a
white one.
Whit"tle (?), n. [OE. thwitel, fr. AS. pwtan to cut. Cf. Thwittle,
Thwaite a piece of ground.] A knife; esp., a pocket, sheath, or clasp
knife. "A butcher's whittle." Dryden. "Rude whittles." Macaulay.
He wore a Sheffield whittle in his hose.
Betterton.
Whit"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whittled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Whittling
(?).]
1. To pare or cut off the surface of with a small knife; to cut or
shape, as a piece of wood held in the hand, with a clasp knife or
pocketknife.
2. To edge; to sharpen; to render eager or excited; esp., to excite
with liquor; to inebriate. [Obs.]
"In vino veritas." When men are well whittled, their tongues run at
random.
Withals.
Whit"tle, v. i. To cut or shape a piece of wood with am small knife; to
cut up a piece of wood with a knife.
Dexterity with a pocketknife is a part of a Nantucket education; but I
am inclined to think the propensity is national. Americans must and
will whittle.
Willis.
Whit"tlings (?), n. pl. Chips made by one who whittles; shavings cut
from a stick with a knife.