tickle the ivories (informal)

To play the piano

tickle /tikˈl/

1. To excite with a pleasant thrill
2. To produce a disturbing feeling in (someone) by a light touch, usu tending to excite involuntary laughter, accompanied by attempts to wriggle free
3. To amuse (informal)
4. To please (informal)
5. To perplex
6. To touch lightly, esp when catching fish using the hands
7. To beat

1. To be the site of a tickling or itching feeling
2. To tingle (Spenser)

1. Unstable, in unstable equilibrium, delicately set, insecure (Spenser, Shakespeare)
2. Ticklish, nice (obsolete or dialect)

1. An act or feeling of tickling
2. A slight touch, eg (cricket) of the ball with the bat

tickˈler noun

1. Someone or something that tickles
2. A puzzle, a difficult problem (informal)
3. A feather-brush
4. A poker
5. A cane
6. A device for reminding
7. A dram of spirits

tickˈling noun and adjective

tickˈlish adjective

1. Easily tickled
2. Difficult, needing careful attention, treatment, etc
3. Unstable, precarious
4. Easily affected
5. Nice
6. Critical

tickˈlishly adverb

tickˈlishness noun

tickˈly adjective

1. Tickling
2. Easily tickled

tickˈle-brain noun (Shakespeare)

Strong liquor

tickler file noun (esp N American)

A file containing memoranda, short notes, etc, to remind the user of facts, things to be done, etc

tickˈly-bendˈers plural noun

1. Thin ice that bends underfoot
2. A game played on it

tickle pink or tickle to death (informal)

To please or amuse very much

tickle the ivories see under ivory