Fiddle FID'DLE, n. [L. fides, fidicula.] A stringed instrument of music; a violin.
FID'DLE, v.i.
1. To play on a fiddle or violin.
Themistocles said he could not fiddle, but he could make a small town a great city.
It is said that Nero fiddled, when Rome was in flames.
2. To trifle; to shift the hands often and do nothing, like a fellow that plays on a fiddle.
Good cooks cannot abide what they call fiddling work.
FID'DLE, v.t. To play a tune on a fiddle.

fiddle n 1: bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow [syn: violin, fiddle] v 1: avoid (one's assigned duties); "The derelict soldier shirked his duties" [syn: fiddle, shirk, shrink from, goldbrick] 2: commit fraud and steal from one's employer; "We found out that she had been fiddling for years" 3: play the violin or fiddle 4: play on a violin; "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely" 5: manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination; "She played nervously with her wedding ring"; "Don't fiddle with the screws"; "He played with the idea of running for the Senate" [syn: toy, fiddle, diddle, play] 6: play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly; "Someone tampered with the documents on my desk"; "The reporter fiddle with the facts" [syn: tamper, fiddle, monkey] 7: try to fix or mend; "Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it's not working right"; "She always fiddles with her van on the weekend" [syn: tinker, fiddle]

fiddle ˈfɪdl See: PLAY SECOND FIDDLE.

fiddle I. noun Etymology: Middle English fidel, from Old English *fithele, probably from Medieval Latin vitula Date: 13th century 1. violin 2. a device (as a slat, rack, or light railing) to keep objects from sliding off a table aboard ship 3. fiddlesticks — used as an interjection 4. [fiddle (II)] chiefly British swindle II. verb (fiddled; fiddling) Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to play on a fiddle 2. a. to move the hands or fingers restlessly b. to spend time in aimless or fruitless activity ; putter, tinker <fiddled around with the engine for hours> c. meddle, tamper d. to make minor manual movements especially to adjust something <fiddled with the radio knobs> transitive verb 1. to play (as a tune) on a fiddle 2. cheat, swindle 3. to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain <accountants fiddling the books — Stanley Cohen> • fiddler noun

fiddle
n. & v.
--n.
1 colloq. or derog. a stringed instrument played with a bow, esp. a violin.
2 colloq. an instance of cheating or fraud.
3 Naut. a contrivance for stopping things from rolling or sliding off a table in bad weather.
--v.
1 intr. a (often foll. by with, at) play restlessly. b (often foll. by about) move aimlessly. c act idly or frivolously. d (usu. foll. by with) make minor adjustments; tinker (esp. in an attempt to make improvements).
2 tr. sl. a cheat, swindle. b falsify. c get by cheating.
3 a intr. play the fiddle. b tr. play (a tune etc.) on the fiddle.
Phrases and idioms:
as fit as a fiddle in very good health. face as long as a fiddle a dismal face. fiddle-back a fiddle-shaped back of a chair or front of a chasuble. fiddle-head a scroll-like carving at a ship's bows. fiddle pattern the pattern of spoons and forks with fiddle-shaped handles. play second (or first) fiddle take a subordinate (or leading) role.
Etymology: OE fithele f. Gmc f. a Rmc root rel. to VIOL

fiddle (fiddles, fiddling, fiddled) 1. If you fiddle with an object, you keep moving it or touching it with your fingers. Harriet fiddled with a pen on the desk. VERB: V with n 2. If you fiddle with something, you change it in minor ways. She told Whistler that his portrait of her was finished and to stop fiddling with it. VERB: V with n 3. If you fiddle with a machine, you adjust it. He turned on the radio and fiddled with the knob until he got a talk show. VERB: V with n 4. If someone fiddles financial documents, they alter them dishonestly so that they get money for themselves. (BRIT INFORMAL) He's been fiddling the books... VERB: V n 5. Some people call violins fiddles, especially when they are used to play folk music. Hardy as a young man played the fiddle at local dances. = violin N-VAR: oft the N 6. Someone who is as fit as a fiddle is very healthy and full of energy. I'm as fit as a fiddle–with energy to spare. PHRASE: v-link PHR 7. If you play second fiddle to someone, your position is less important than theirs in something that you are doing together. She hated the thought of playing second fiddle to Rose. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to n

fiddle ˈfɪdl n. & v. --n. 1 colloq. or derog. a stringed instrument played with a bow, esp. a violin. 2 colloq. an instance of cheating or fraud. 3 Naut. a contrivance for stopping things from rolling or sliding off a table in bad weather. --v. 1 intr. a (often foll. by with, at) play restlessly. b (often foll. by about) move aimlessly. c act idly or frivolously. d (usu. foll. by with) make minor adjustments; tinker (esp. in an attempt to make improvements). 2 tr. sl. a cheat, swindle. b falsify. c get by cheating. 3 a intr. play the fiddle. b tr. play (a tune etc.) on the fiddle. øas fit as a fiddle in very good health. face as long as a fiddle a dismal face. fiddle-back a fiddle-shaped back of a chair or front of a chasuble. fiddle-head a scroll-like carving at a ship's bows. fiddle pattern the pattern of spoons and forks with fiddle-shaped handles. play second (or first) fiddle take a subordinate (or leading) role. [OE fithele f. Gmc f. a Rmc root rel. to VIOL]

Fiddle \Fid"dle\, n. [OE. fidele, fithele, AS. fi?ele; akin to D. vedel, OHG. fidula, G. fiedel, Icel. fi?la, and perh. to E. viol. Cf. Viol.] 1. (Mus.) A stringed instrument of music played with a bow; a violin; a kit. 2. (Bot.) A kind of dock ({Rumex pulcher}) with fiddle-shaped leaves; -- called also fiddle dock. 3. (Naut.) A rack or frame of bars connected by strings, to keep table furniture in place on the cabin table in bad weather. --Ham. Nav. Encyc. Fiddle beetle (Zo["o]l.), a Japanese carabid beetle ({Damaster blaptoides}); -- so called from the form of the body. Fiddle block (Naut.), a long tackle block having two sheaves of different diameters in the same plane, instead of side by side as in a common double block. --Knight. Fiddle bow, fiddlestick. Fiddle fish (Zo["o]l.), the angel fish. Fiddle head, an ornament on a ship's bow, curved like the volute or scroll at the head of a violin. Fiddle pattern, a form of the handles of spoons, forks, etc., somewhat like a violin. Scotch fiddle, the itch. (Low) To play first, or second, fiddle, to take a leading or a subordinate part. [Colloq.]

Fiddle \Fid"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fiddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fiddling.] 1. To play on a fiddle. Themistocles . . . said he could not fiddle, but he could make a small town a great city. --Bacon. 2. To keep the hands and fingers actively moving as a fiddler does; to move the hands and fingers restlessy or in busy idleness; to trifle. Talking, and fiddling with their hats and feathers. --Pepys.

Fiddle \Fid"dle\, v. t. To play (a tune) on a fiddle.

fiddle I. n. Violin. II. v. n. 1. Play on a fiddle. 2. Trifle, dawdle, lose, time, waste time, idle away time, fritter away time, fool away time.

fiddle ˈfɪdl v. 1 Often, fiddle with. meddle (with), tamper (with), interfere (with), alter, falsify, fix; cheat, swindle, flimflam; Colloq finagle, Brit cook: The treasurer had been fiddling the accounts for years. 2 Often, fiddle with or about or around. toy or trifle or fidget (with), twiddle or play or tinker (with), fool or fuss (with), Colloq mess or muck (about or around) (with), frivol (away), monkey (around) (with): He sat there nervously fiddling with his ear. Stop fiddling about and get on with your work. --n. 3 Brit swindle, fraud, racket, thimblerig, US shell-game, Slang skin game, funny business, monkey business: The tax inspector caught him in some fiddle with his business expenses. 4 violin, viola, viol, cello, violoncello, kit: He played fiddle for the tsar.

96 Moby Thesaurus words for "fiddle": A string, Amati, Cremona, D string, E string, G string, Strad, Stradivari, Stradivarius, alter, bass, bass viol, bow, bridge, bull fiddle, cello, cheat, contrabass, cook, coquet, crowd, dabble, dally, doodle, double bass, falsify, feel, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fiddlebow, fiddlestick, fidget, fidget with, finagle, finger with, fingerboard, fix, flimflam, flirt, fool, fool around, fool with, fraud, fribble, frivol, handle, horse around, idle, interfere with, jerk off, kid around, kit, kit fiddle, kit violin, loiter, meddle with, mess, mess around, monkey, monkey around, monkey business, piddle, play, play around, play violin, play with, potter, puddle, putter, racket, saw, scrape, scroll, skin game, smatter, soundboard, string, swindle, tamper with, tenor violin, thimblerig, tinker, touch, toy, toy with, trifle, tuning peg, twiddle, viol, viola, violin, violinette, violoncello, violoncello piccolo, violone, violotta

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