Definition of "sidle"

[F]rom the circle of delighted auditors listening to the gentillesses of the pink cockatoo, who was sidling on his stand in the sunshine, a whole party of the Beresfords caught sight of me, and in a minute I was surrounded; [...]

1836, [Catherine Gore], The Diary of a Désennuyée. [...] In Two Volumes, volume I, London: Published by Henry Colburn, […], pages 176–177

The mare never moved; but after immense weight had been placed on both, the horse began to sidle, and before the last bag could be put on him, he sunk on his knees; it was put on the mare, and she bore it, never moving her posture until she was unloaded.

1842, A. Lawson, “131. The Achievements of the Horse.”, in The Modern Farrier; or, The Art of Preserving the Health and Curing the Diseases of Horses, Dogs, Oxen, Cows, Sheep, and Swine. ; Newcastle: R. Dent, page 257

You could drive a band of hosses up the steepest kind of hill but nobody that I ever knowed could drive a bunch straight down (that goes with cows, too)—they'd sidle it every time.

2011, Charles M[arion] Russell, “Range Horses”, in Stephen [Vincent] Brennan, editor, The Best Cowboy Stories Ever Told, New York, N.Y.: Skyhorse Publishing, page 478

There was one little prim old lady, of very smiling and good-humoured appearance, who came sidling up to me from the end of a long passage, [...]

1842, Charles Dickens, “Worcester. The Connecticut River. Hartford. New Haven. To New York.”, in American Notes for General Circulation. […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], pages 176–177

A small lad, with a large head and faded yellow hair, sidles up to you, and says something about "Ing'n work," or "Cur'osities," or "Cam'ra 'bscura," or "Guide." You give some sharp, quick answer; the small boy collapses and vanishes.

1853 July, “Niagara”, in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, volume VII, number XXVIII, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, publishers, […], page 290, column 2

A sharper sidleth up to him, "Why bettest thou not?" saith he. For a moment's space the stranger's face Was a wondrous thing to see.This may be a nonce use of the third-person singular simple present indicative form sidleth; other examples of the word, and the second-person singular simple present form sidlest, have not been found.

1877 March, “[Humorous Department.] The Barrel Organ.”, in Belford’s Monthly Magazine. A Magazine of Literature and Art, volume I, Toronto, Ont.: Belford Brothers, publishers, […], page 589

One day he sidles up to a group, listens to the conversation for a moment, and actually puts in a remark. "I beg your pardon!" says one of the girls politely who has not heard his modest effort at conversation. For a moment Alexander remains rooted to the ground, he stammers out something unintelligible, the whole group turns and looks at him; this completes his confusion, he turns and sidles back to his seat, his face as hot as can be, and remains lost in a Latin grammer[sic – meaning grammar] for at least half an hour.

1914 April, Eric H. May, “The Metamorphosis of a ‘Fusser’”, in Paul Sykes, editor, Vox Lycei: Official Organ of the Ottawa Collegiate Institute, volume XXIX, number 1, Ottawa, Ont.: Ottawa Collegiate Institute, page 16

As the moon sidles up Must she sidle up, As trips the scared moon Away must she trip, [...]

1934, William Butler Yeats, “[Supernatural Songs] He and She”, in The King of the Great Clock Tower, Commentaries and Poems, Dublin: The Cuala Press; republished New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, May 1935, page 43

At an early point in these exchanges I had started to sidle to the door, and I now sidled through it, rather like a diffident crab on some sandy beach trying to avoid the attentions of a child with a spade.

1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter VIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins

Marta's gander was a magnificent snow-white bird: the object of terror to foxes, children and dogs. She had reared him as a gosling; and whenever he approached, he would let fly a low contented burble and sidle his neck around her thighs.

1988, Bruce Chatwin, Utz, London: Jonathan Cape; republished London: Vintage Books, 2005, page 50

Ava tried to sidle away, but she was semi-trapped between the corner of the stage and a French Club sign-up table.

2014, Belle Payton, Too Cool for School (It Takes Two), New York, N.Y.: Simon Spotlight, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, page 71

A man I'd never spoken to before who worked in the IT department sidled behind me as I danced and put his hands on my waist where the cut-outs were.

2021, Megan Nolan, Acts of Desperation‎, Random House