sidled

Sidled is the past tense and past participle of the verb sidle. To sidle means to move sideways, typically in a cautious, unobtrusive, or furtive manner. The motion is often used to approach or retreat without attracting attention, or to edge along a surface or past a person.

In use, sidled can describe both people and animals. A person might sidle up to a doorway, sidle along the wall, or sidle away from a loud crowd. It is commonly employed in narrative writing to convey hesitancy, nervousness, or stealth, and it can also be used figuratively to describe a gradual or tentative entry into a situation or conversation. The related present participle is sidling, and the base form is sidle. The common phrasal forms include “sidle up” and “sidle along.”

Etymology and related forms: sidle derives from the idea of moving by the side; it combines the root side with a suffix that forms verbs. The precise historical origin is not always clear, but sidle has been used in English to express sideways movement for several centuries. Related verbs that describe different manners of movement include edge, slink, and creep, which convey varying degrees of stealth or abruptness.

Overall, sidled conveys a careful, sideways motion that is often chosen to avoid attention or to gain a discreet position relative to a person, object, or space.