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Diddy vs Diddly - What's the difference?

diddy | diddly |

As an adjective diddy

is very small, tiny.

As a noun diddly is

a small amount of no worth.

As an interjection diddly is

a written representation of a trill sound.

diddy

English

Adjective

(er)
  • (UK, informal) very small, tiny

    • Synonyms

    see

    diddly

    English

    Etymology 1

    Short for diddly-squat

    Noun

    (diddlies)
  • A small amount of no worth.
    • Synonyms
    *See also .

    Etymology 2

    Imitating a sound

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • A written representation of a trill sound.
  • * 1993 , Hugh Hood, Be sure to close your eyes: a novel
    • On the handcar mornings or evenings he would amuse his companion by pumping away to a triple-tongued pattern, which he would hum emphatically as they rolled along: "dum diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly''' dee dee-dum dum '''diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly diddly dee..."
  • * 2005 , Gordon Giltrap, Total Giltrap: Guitar Encounters of the Fingerstyle Kind
  • *:...When combined with the following picked note, this gives a rhythmic 'diddly -dum' effect.
  • * 2008 , Kristie Theobald, Irish Angels
    • It's easy enough for him to go “diddly-diddly-diddly'-dum” a thousand and one times, whereas with me it's “' diddly-diddly-diddly- omigodIcan'tbreathe-dum!”)

    Etymology 3

    Possibly shortened from diddlywhacker.

    Noun

    (diddlies)
  • penis
  • * 1968 , , The Landlord's Daughter , Doubleday & Company (1968), page 268:
    • "My child is going to be taught all about sex as soon as he can understand. Mother-in-law is always clucking to him about his diddly . No, no, I say, you must call it penis."
    Synonyms
    *See also .