From earlier wabble (“wobble”), probably from Low German wabbeln (“to wobble”). Compare Dutch wiebelen and wobbelen (“to wobble”), German wabbeln (“to wobble”), Old Norse vafla (“to hover about, totter”).
Meanings
An unsteady motion.
That should have been that, but Hart caught a dose of the Hennessey wobbles and spilled Adlene Guedioura's long-range shot. 2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport:
The fat man walked down the street with a wobble.
A tremulous sound.
There was a wobble on her high notes.
A low-frequency oscillation sometimes used in dubstep.
“I Knew You Were Trouble,” one of the year’s great pop songs, begins like a sock-hop anthem, with jaunty guitars. A dubstep wobble arrives about halfway through like a wrecking ball, changing the course not just of the song but also of Ms. Swift’s career. 2012 October 24, Jon Caramanica, “No More Kid Stuff for Taylor Swift”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
A variation in the third nucleotide of a codon that codes for a specific aminoacid.
From earlier wabble (“wobble”), probably from Low German wabbeln (“to wobble”). Compare Dutch wiebelen and wobbelen (“to wobble”), German wabbeln (“to wobble”), Old Norse vafla (“to hover about, totter”).
Meanings
(intransitive) To move with an uneven or rocking motion, or unsteadily to and fro.
the Earth wobbles slowly on its axis
Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return. 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:
The apparition wobbled in front of Arthur's eyes, though the truth of the matter is probably that Arthur's eyes were wobbling in front of the apparition. His mouth wobbled as well. 1982 August, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; 3), London: Pan Books, →ISBN, page 27:
the jelly wobbled on the plate
(intransitive) To tremble or quaver.
The soprano's voice wobbled alarmingly.
(intransitive) To vacillate in one's opinions.
I'm wobbling between the Liberals and the Greens.
(transitive) To cause to wobble.
The boy wobbled the girl's bike.
He said: “This front wheel wobbles.”
I said: “It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.” It didn’t wobble, as a matter of fact—nothing worth calling a wobble. 1900, Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel:
mi tāngarangara (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · mi hūkokikoki (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · de wackeln (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs zaváhat (vacillate) · ru шата́ться (quaver) · fi huojua (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs potácet se (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs klátit se (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ca trontollar (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ru колеба́ться (vacillate) · bg треперя (quaver) · la labō (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ja ブラブラする (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs chvět se (quaver) · nl wiebelen (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · fi olla kahden vaiheilla (vacillate) · hu inog (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · fi väristä (quaver) · fr branler (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ja 揺らす (cause to wobble) · pl zachwiać się (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · pt cambalear (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · bg поклащам се (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · fr vaciller (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs viklat se (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · es bambolearse (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ru раска́чивать (cause to wobble) · de eiern (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ca balandrejar (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ja 震える (quaver) · nl wankelen (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · bg разклащам (cause to wobble) · cs kymácet se (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ru вихля́ть (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs zakymácet se (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ru кача́ться (quaver) · la vacillo (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ca vacil·lar (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ja ぶれる (vacillate) · ru кача́ть (cause to wobble) · ja 震える (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · pl chwiać się (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · fr vaciller (vacillate) · de trillern (quaver) · cs rozkolísat (cause to wobble) · nl wiebelen (cause to wobble) · es tambalearse (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ru идти́ шата́ясь (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · fr osciller (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs zakolísat (vacillate) · cs třást se (quaver) · pt titubear (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · bg клатушкам се (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ja ぶれる (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · mi whakatahataha (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · cs váhat (vacillate) · cs kolísat (vacillate) · es vacilar (vacillate) · eo vobli (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ru дрожать (quaver) · ja ブラブラする (vacillate) · bg колебая се (vacillate) · pt vacilar (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · fi vaappua (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · fi horjua (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · de schwanken (vacillate) · ru виля́ть (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ca oscil·lar (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · pl wahać się (vacillate) · mi pareti (move with an uneven or rocking motion) · ru шата́ть (cause to wobble) · ja ブラブラさせる (cause to wobble)