English

Verb

pedipulate ‎(third-person singular simple present pedipulates, present participle pedipulating, simple past and past participle pedipulated)

1. (transitive, rare, archaic) To handle, operate, or control with the foot or feet, especially in a skillful manner.
   • 1886 Oct. 13, "Japanese Juggling at Yokohama," Tuapeka Times (New Zealand), vol. 19, iss. 1291, p. 5 (retrieved 26 Sept 2013):

     A man lay down on his back on a mattress spread on the ground, put his legs up in the air, and on the soles of his feet was placed a massive empty bronze waterjar four feet deep, into the mouth of which climbed a small boy. The man spun it with his feet, tossed it up in the air, caught it on the soles of his feet again, sometimes causing the jar to stand with its mouth uppermost while he spun it round and round, then tossed it up again, and caught it on its side, the boy the whole time sitting unconcernedly inside. . . . It took two men to lift the empty jar on to his feet to begin with, and the most extraordinary thing is the great weight he thus pedipulates.

   • 1900, The Inland Printer, vol. 24, p. 275 (Google snippet view) (retrieved 27 Sept 2013):

     Aaron Smith, the armless editor of the Mount Pleasant (Tex.) Times-Review, who rapidly operates a typewriter with his toes (or pedipulates it), could hardly be said to handle the machine with dexterity, for he doesn't.

   • 1915 April 24, "Pars About People," Observer (New Zealand), vol. 35, iss. 33, p. 3 (retrieved 27 Sept 2013):

     Mr Maughan Barnett, the city organist, sits on a stool when officiating athe organ, and unfortunately that stool has loopholes through which the vulgar can gaze and witness the necessary contortions of the organist's legs when pedipulating Henry's organ.

   • 1947 Dec. 15, William Brady MD, "Personal Health Service: Improving Sanitation," Toledo Blade (USA) (retrieved 27 Sept 2013):

     Neither should there be handles or even push or pull gadgets on wash basins, flush toilets or drinking water fonts. These should be pedipulated — worked with the foot.

Derived terms

• pedipulation
• pedipulator

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed., 2005.
• pedipulate at OneLook Dictionary Search