fiddle

1 of 2

noun

fid·​dle ˈfi-dᵊl 

1

: violin

2

: a device (such 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 entry 2] chiefly British : swindle

fiddle

2 of 2

verb

fiddled; fiddling ˈfi-dᵊl-iŋ  ˈfid-liŋ 

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 (something) on a fiddle

fiddle a tune

2

: cheat, swindle

3

: to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain

accountants fiddling the books

—Stanley Cohen

fiddler

ˈfi-dᵊl-ər 

ˈfid-lər

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• applesauce [slang]
• balderdash
• baloney
• boloney
• beans
• bilge
• blah
• blah-blah
• blarney
• blather
• blatherskite
• blither
• bosh
• bull [slang]
• bunk
• bunkum
• buncombe
• claptrap
• codswallop [British]
• crapola [slang]
• crock
• drivel
• drool
• fiddle-faddle
• fiddlesticks
• flannel [British]
• flapdoodle
• folderol
• falderal
• folly
• foolishness
• fudge
• garbage
• guff
• hogwash
• hokeypokey
• hokum
• hoodoo
• hooey
• horsefeathers [slang]
• humbug
• humbuggery
• jazz
• malarkey
• malarky
• moonshine
• muck
• nerts [slang]
• nonsense
• nuts
• piffle
• poppycock
• punk
• rot
• rubbish
• senselessness
• silliness
• slush
• stupidity
• taradiddle
• tarradiddle
• tommyrot
• tosh
• trash
• trumpery
• twaddle

Verb

• fidget
• jerk
• jig
• jiggle
• squiggle
• squirm
• thrash
• thresh
• toss
• twist
• twitch
• wiggle
• wriggle
• writhe

Examples of fiddle in a Sentence

Noun

an expert with the fiddle

arrested for a tax fiddle

Verb

Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s a reason Sweden is firmly third fiddle here to Canada and the U.S., though. —Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 4 Dec. 2024

One of the most common issues is the appearance of brown spots on fiddle leaf fig leaves. —Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Nov. 2024

Verb

In 2024, Franklin is again up for the CMA's Musician of the Year alongside guitarists Tom Bukovac, Rob McNelley, Charlie Worsham and fiddle player Jenee Fleenor. —Neda Ulaby, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024

Le Vent du Nord Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook The lively, fiddling French-language Canadian folk/pop band Le Vent du Nord is at The Kate on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. $40. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fithele, fethill, fydel, going back to Old English *fithele (assumed from the derivative fithelere "fiddler"), going back to Germanic *fiþlō- (whence Middle Dutch vedele "stringed instrument," Old High German fidula, fidala, Old Norse fiðla), perhaps of onomatopoeic origin

Note: See note at viol.

Verb

Middle English fithelyn, fydelin, derivative of fithele, fydel fiddle entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing fiddle

• bass fiddle
• bull fiddle
• fiddle about
• fiddle around
• fiddle away
• fiddle-faddle
• fiddle-footed
• fiddle with
• fit as a fiddle
• play second fiddle
• second fiddle

Kids Definition

fiddle

1 of 2 noun

fid·​dle ˈfid-ᵊl 

: violin sense 1

fiddle

2 of 2 verb

fiddled; fiddling

ˈfid-liŋ,

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to play on a fiddle

2

a

: to move the hands or fingers restlessly

b

: to spend time in aimless activity

c

: meddle, tamper

fiddler

ˈfid-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun