A list of Twiddlers, organized alphabetically by verb (to reduce the likelihood of duplication).
Concept by Karen Katz (KRK) and Jed Hartman. Phrases by Nao Parkhurst (NAP), Michael Bernstein (MEB), Bhadrika Love (JKL), Jim Moskowitz (JJM), Arthur Evans (ARE), Steve Karpf (SDK), Stephen Sample (SAS), Jed Hartman, et alia. Unattributed phrases were probably contributed by one or more of those people, but I wasn't keeping track of contributors for a while...
If a verb appears more than once, it's usually because I believe the phrases in question are sufficiently different in meaning. If a verb can take multiple objects and remain a twiddler, I provide sample objects in {braces}.
- adjusted. He adjusted her {glasses, toupee, clothing}.
- batted. She batted his eyelashes.
- beat chest. He beat her chest.
- beat head. She beat his head against the wall.
- believe. He couldn't believe her eyes.
- bet. I bet your life.
- bided. She bided his time.
- bit. He bit her {lip, nails, tongue}.
- blew. She blew his nose.
- blinked. She blinked his {eyes, eyelids}.
- brushed. She brushed his {teeth, hair}.
- bumped. She stood up abruptly and bumped his head.
- caught. She caught his breath.
- cleared. She cleared his throat.
- clucked. He clucked her tongue.
- collected. He collected her thoughts. (JKL)
- counted. She counted on his fingers. (SDK)
- cracked. She cracked his knuckles.
- crossed. He crossed her {eyes, fingers, legs}.
- did best. She did his best.
- did work. She did his best work at night.
- fell down. She fell down the stairs and broke his {neck, leg, arm, back, etc.}.
- fell flat. She fell flat on his face. (NAP)
- felt age. He felt her age.
- felt walk. He felt someone walk over her grave. (NAP)
- flared. She flared his nostrils.
- gathered. He gathered her courage. (SDK)
- gave. She gave his all.
- got. She got a run in his stocking. (SDK)
- gritted. He gritted her teeth.
- had butterflies. He had butterflies in her stomach.
- had eyes. He had eyes in the back of her head.
- held breath. She held his breath.
- held ground. She held his ground. (JKL)
- held out. He held out her hand. (NAP)
- is at. I'm at the end of your rope.
- kicked. She kicked him in her leg. (NAP) (but, "She kicked him in his leg"?)
- laughed. She laughed his head off.
- licked. She licked his chops. (SDK)
- lied. He lied through her teeth.
- lost lunch. She lost his lunch.
- lost mind. She lost his mind.
- loved. She loved his {mother, parents, family}.
- lowered. He lowered her eyes. (JKL)
- moved. She moved his bowels. (NAP/SAS)
- nodded. She nodded his head.
- picked. He picked her nose.
- popped. His eyes popped out of her head. (JKL)
- puckered. He puckered her lips.
- puffed. She puffed his cheeks.
- put. She put his foot in her mouth.
- put. He put his head under her wing.
- ran. She ran for his life.
- rolled eyes. She rolled his eyes. (JKL)
- rolled grave. He rolled over in her grave.
- rolled side. He rolled over onto her side. (JKL)
- saw. He saw the error of her ways.
- screwed. He screwed up her face.
- shrugged. She shrugged his shoulders.
- slit. She slit his wrists.
- snapped. He snapped her fingers.
- sowed. She sowed his wild oats.
- sprained. He sprained her {ankle, wrist, etc.}
- squirmed. She squirmed in his seat. (JKL)
- stood head. She stood on his head.
- stubbed. He stubbed her toe.
- swallowed food. He swallowed her food.
- swallowed gum. He swallowed her gum. (JKL)
- swallowed tongue. She swallowed his tongue.
- swept. He swept her off his feet. (paraphrased from Groucho Marx)
- talked. She talked in his sleep. (ARE)
- tapped. He tapped her fingers.
- took out. She took out his contacts. (JKL)
- tore. He tore her hair.
- tossed. He tossed her cookies.
- tried. She tried his hardest.
- tucked. She tucked his hair behind her ear. (NAP)
- twiddled. He twiddled her thumbs. (KRK)
- vented. She vented his spleen.
- waggled. He waggled her eyebrows.
- was asleep. She was asleep on his feet.
- was in. Her heart was in his throat.
- was out. He was out of her mind.
- was sick. He was sick to her stomach.
- went. He went forth to seek her fortune.
- wound. He wound her watch.
- wrote. He wrote her thesis on {whatever}.
- wrung. She wrung his hands.