Define Teeter Totter

Regions

• A teeter totter is a dandle, or dandle board in Narragansett Bay. It is a teedle board in northeast Massachusetts. Southeastern New Englanders call it a tilt or tilting board. Teeter totter is used throughout the northern inland states westward to the coast. The most common name for a teeter totter is seesaw, which is used in most other areas.

Linguistics

• The names teeter totter and seesaw come from a linguistic process called reduplication. This is commonly used for items with repeated action. Teeter comes from the action of being on the brink, teetering.

Ride

• Teeter totters are the oldest ride for children. The equipment was very easy to make out of logs.

Machine

• A seesaw is a simple machine; a first-class lever. It is made from a plank placed on a fulcrum or pivot point. It is a child's outdoor plaything.

Acrobats

• A teeter board is an acrobat's device. It is used in balancing acts to propel partners to other areas of the stage.