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From Steinbeck's Cannery Row,

If one of you fellas wants to kind of edge into my cellar without my wife seeing you, they’re on top of the side stringer on the left-hand side as you go in.

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4  
Kind of + see sense 2 of the verb form of edge. – coleopterist Jan 10 at 19:59
move or cause to move gradually or furtively in a particular direction? – Vladimir Bezugliy Jan 10 at 20:00
2  
Yes. "If one of you fellas wants to kind of move furtively into my cellar without my wife seeing you, ..." – Hugo Jan 10 at 20:01

closed as general reference by Hugo, Kate Gregory, tchrist, MετάEd, cornbread ninja 麵包忍者 Jan 11 at 1:31

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1 Answer

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One meaning of edge is to move slowly in gradual bursts.

That might be quite how one would best describe sneaking toward just far enough into the cellar to grab the objects referred to, which the "kind of" emphasises, it's often used when a speaker isn't confident in what they are saying.

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Not sure bursts is quite the right word; it sounds too sudden and explosive, which is not fitting with a series of small, careful maneuvers. I would just call them movements. – Robusto Jan 10 at 20:34

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