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Shimmy vs Wriggle - What's the difference?

shimmy | wriggle |

In lang=en terms the difference between shimmy and wriggle

is that shimmy is to vibrate abnormally, as a broken wheel while wriggle is to cause to or make something wriggle.

As nouns the difference between shimmy and wriggle

is that shimmy is a dance movement involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately while wriggle is a wriggling movement.

As verbs the difference between shimmy and wriggle

is that shimmy is (dance) to perform a (dance movement involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately) while wriggle is to twist one's body to and fro with short, writhing motions; to squirm.

shimmy

English

(wikipedia shimmy)

Noun

(shimmies)
  • A dance movement involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.
  • An abnormal vibration, especially in the wheels of a vehicle.
  • A dance that was popular in the 1920s.
  • (rare) A sleeveless chemise.
  • Verb

  • (dance) To perform a (dance movement involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately).
  • To climb something (e.g. a pole) gradually (e.g. using alternately one's arms then one's legs).
  • He shimmied up the flagpole.
    The static made her dress shimmy up her leg.
  • To vibrate abnormally, as a broken wheel.
  • (rare) To shake the body as if dancing the shimmy.
  • Synonyms

    * (climb a pole) shinny, shin (qualifier)

    wriggle

    English

    Verb

    (wriggl)
  • To twist one's body to and fro with short, writhing motions; to squirm.
  • Teachers often lose their patience when children wriggle in their seats.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • Both he and successors would often wriggle in their seats, as long as the cushion lasted.
  • * {{quote-book
  • , year=1972 , author=Carlos CastaƱeda , title=The teachings of Don Juan: a Yaqui way of knowledge , page=78 citation , passage=I tried to ease my grip, but my hands were sweating so profusely that the lizards began to wriggle out of them.}}
  • To cause to or make something wriggle.
  • He was sitting on the lawn, wriggling his toes in the grass.

    Derived terms

    * wriggler * wriggly

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A wriggling movement.
  • Anagrams

    *