From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Twirl \Twirl\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Twirled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Twirling}.] [Cf. AS. [thorn]wiril a churn staff, a stirrer, flail, [thorn]weran, [=a][thorn]weran, to agitate, twirl, G. zwirlen, quirlen, to twirl, to turn round or about, quirl a twirling stick, OHG. dweran to twirl, stir. Cf. {Trowel}.] To move or turn round rapidly; to whirl round; to move and turn rapidly with the fingers.
See ruddy maids, Some taught with dexterous hand to twirl the wheel. --Dodsley.
No more beneath soft eve's consenting star Fandango twirls his jocund castanet. --Byron.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Twirl \Twirl\, verb (used without an object) To revolve with velocity; to be whirled round rapidly.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
1. The act of twirling; a rapid circular motion; a whirl or whirling; quick rotation.
2. A twist; a convolution. --Woodward.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight [syn: {kink}, {twist}]
2: the act of rotating rapidly; "he gave the crank a spin"; "it broke off after much twisting" [syn: {spin}, {twist}, {twisting}, {whirl}]
verb
1: turn in a twisting or spinning motion; "The leaves swirled in the autumn wind" [syn: {swirl}, {twiddle}, {whirl}]
2: cause to spin; "spin a coin" [syn: {whirl}, {birl}, {spin}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
77 Moby Thesaurus words for "twirl": Charybdis, Maelstrom, back stream, backflow, backwash, backwater, centrifugate, centrifuge, cirrus, coil, contort, convolution, corkscrew, countercurrent, counterflow, counterflux, crinkle, curl, curlicue, dizzy round, eddy, evolute, gulf, gurge, gyrate, gyre, helix, intort, involute, kink, maelstrom, meander, pirouette, purl, rat race, reel, refluence, reflux, regurgitation, revolution, revolve, ringlet, roll, rotate, round, scallop, screw, scroll, serpentine, slink, snake, spin, spinning, spiral, surge, swirl, tendril, turn, turning, twine, twirling, twist, twist and turn, volute, volution, vortex, wheel, whirl, whirligig, whirling, whirlpool, whirlwind, whorl, wind, winding, worm, wring
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