What does the word 「のたのたして」mean?

Question

Here is the context including the word. I put the blank spaces according to the column line breaks.

なんでえ　大の男が　まっぴるまから　酒くらって　のたのたしてよう

For this word, I have no clue to guess at all what it should really mean.

Answer 1

「なんでえ　大{だい}の男{おとこ}が　まっぴるまから　酒{さけ}くらって　のたのたしてよう」

「のたのたする」 is a colloquial expression meaning "to wander around idly", "to act in a highly unproductive manner", etc.

It is in the "famous" verb pattern 「onomatopoeia + する」.

"What the heck! A big man (= grown man) drinking like a fish and wandering around idly under the broad daylight!"

The entire line is in the quintessential Kanto masculine colloquial speech.

「まっぴるま」＝「真っ昼間」 Note it is 「ぴ」(pi), not 「ひ」.

「なんでえ」＝「なんだよ」

Answer 2

"のたのたする" is a colloquial expression of "[無為]{むい}に過ごす / [怠惰]{たいだ}に過ごす" meaning "to idle one's time away" as well as "のらくらする."

のたのた、のらくら、のろのろ, all are a sort of onomatopoeic expression depicting laziness, inactiveness and slowness.

We use ”のたのた” and "のたのたする" in such a way as:

この忙しい時にのたのたしてるんじゃねえよ - Don't be idle in such a busy time.

今頃になって彼がのたのたやってきた - He came nonchalantly so late at this time.

[何時]{いつ}までものたのた喋くってんじゃねえ - Stop talking. I'm sick of hearing your lengthy and meaningless story.

Answer 3

Here is what the Dictionary of Iconic Expressions says, on pages 833-834:

nota-nota

M: The manner of moving slowly and heavily.

nota-nota (to)

(1) お腹がふくれてくると、普通だったらマタニティドレスにペタ靴で、お腹をつき出してノタノタ歩きますけれど […]。

Onaka ga fukurete-kuru to, futsuu da'tara mataniti:-doresu ni peta-gutsu de, onaka o tsuki-dashite nota-nota aruki-masu keredo [...].

When one's belly starts getting big, one normally wears maternity dresses and flat shoes, and walks along ponderously with one's stomach sticking out, but [...].

[Yoko Kirishima, "Habataku On-na e!" in On-na ga Habataku Toki: Ai, Jiyuu, Tabi no No:to, p.116, Kd. 1982]

(2) あっちからのたのた走って来るのは西武線。あ、あれ冷房車だ。

A'chi kara nota-nota hashi'te-kuru no wa Seibu-sen. A, are reiboo-sha da.

The train pulling slowly in from over there belongs to the Seibu line. Look! That's the air-conditioned car.

[Mokoto Arai, "Uchuu-gyo Ten-matsu-ki in Guri:n Rekuiemu, p.143, Ko. 1983]