"Guilty as charged" on the dictionary inquiries. I've even looked it up, more
than once in the same dictionary, to make sure I didn't miss anything. That
was more when I was a kid and had a dictionary handy, though I'll still look it
up every now and then 🙂
Hearing the word tickle, or mentioning it myself, seems like a big deal. I tend
to believe its users are throwing it out there for a reason, since it's so rarely
used.
There is a pretty good looking single girl, at work, who mentioned "the word"
recently while at a group lunch. She has a boyfriend, one of those guys who
hasn't worked in 3 years, while she pays all the bills and is forever angry at
him. No ring or anything. Back to the lunch: Everyone was looking at the
menus and she picks up the drink list that's on the table on a stand. She
says "How about a Rib Tickler?", a drink on the list. No-one said anything and
she sheepishly said "Just kidding" while looking down, in a totally embarrassed
way.
That is a woman who will always scribble her nails on you, when she is saying
thanks or making a point. After reading all these posts here, I think this is a
situation to explore. I'll mention "tickling" and see what kind of reaction she
has.