Meaning and etymology of the word "dockle"

From "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn " by Betty Smith:

When none came, she taunted: "Why don't you bust out crying, you dockle?

The following etymological dictionary says it means "doll" which is probably used in the book as a mocking term:

Dockle:

• Frisian dok, G. docke ; a little bundle as of thread, a wisp of straw, also a doll ; Swabian dockle, a doll ; dokheln, to play with a doll.

A dictionary of English etymology, H. Wedgwood - 1859 - ‎History

My Mom used the term "dockle" frequently. It was always used to mean a socially awkward person. Often clumsy or dim-witted, as well.

She was a first generation German, with immigrant parents from the Schwabia region. My Grandfather landed in Philadelphia around 1900, and my Mom was born in 1914. The household spoke mostly German until around 1925 or so. They referred to themselves as "Schwopes." And "dockel" was something I understood well, as a small kid.