Literary notes about wobble (AI summary)
The word "wobble" is employed in literature to evoke instability in both physical and metaphorical senses. It can illustrate literal unsteadiness—as when a character's lips move in a curious, trembling way [1] or when a table begins to rotate unexpectedly [2]—as well as more abstract disarray, such as the faltering of resolve or thought [3, 4]. In some passages, it describes the shaky gait of figures, whether it’s the stagger of a person’s legs [5] or the unbalanced progress of a vehicle [6], adding vivid sensory detail to the narrative. In other contexts, the term takes on a whimsical air or even hints at irony, underscoring a character or object’s departure from steadiness, as seen when a head is humorously noted as coming off rather than simply wobbling [7].
- He looked at her,—fust time he had, fair an' square,—an' then he begun to wobble his lips round an' make a queer noise with 'em.
— from Meadow Grass: Tales of New England Life by Alice Brown - Get everything square (rotation will betray a bad wobble), and solder the three parts together with the blow-lamp.
— from Things To Make by Archibald Williams - But when he had got away from him, his mind began to wobble.
— from The Borough Treasurer by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher - My brain began to wobble like bilge-water in a ship’s hold, when all of a sudden an idea struck me.
— from Seven Frozen Sailors by George Manville Fenn - When she stood on the first step her knees began to wobble; she grasped the post.
— from The Garden Party, and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield - Bore a 1/4" hole in the center with the greatest care, or the wheel will wobble sidewise.
— from Manual Training Toys for the Boy's Workshop by Harris W. Moore - "Well, my head doesn't wobble—it comes off," said the Cat.
— from The Story of a Calico Clown by Laura Lee Hope
