What it means
To waggle is to move something side to side or back and forth in a quick, playful little way. People waggle eyebrows, fingers, loose teeth, keys, anything doing a tiny cheeky wobble. It sounds lighter and sillier than just move or shake, and it often carries a teasing or slightly daft vibe.
Usage examples
"Dave waggled his eyebrows at the pub menu like he was in a dodgy romcom, so I went nah mate, stop that and just pick a curry."
"He waggled his eyebrows and everyone knew what he meant."
"The toddler kept waggling her wobbly tooth at the dinner table."
"She just waggled the car keys at me from the doorway like come on then, we're late."
"Don't sit there waggling that loose tooth all through breakfast, it's putting me right off my toast."
Where it comes from
Waggle is an old English verb built from wag, meaning to move briskly to and fro. The -le ending gives it that repeated, fiddly little motion, which is why you waggle a finger, a tooth, or your eyebrows instead of giving them one single wag.
