fiddle

¹fid·dle

noun \ˈfi-d^əl\

Definition of FIDDLE

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

[²fiddle] chiefly British : swindle

Examples of FIDDLE

1. an expert with the fiddle
2. arrested for a tax fiddle

Origin of FIDDLE

Middle English fidel, from Old English *fithele, probably from Medieval Latin vitula

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to FIDDLE

Synonyms

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

Related Words

absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy; absurdness, craziness, madness, senselessness, witlessness; hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery; gas, hot air, rigmarole (also rigamarole); double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus

Near Antonyms

levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness; common sense, horse sense, sense; discernment, judgment (or judgement), wisdom

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, presto, refrain, riff, segue

Rhymes with FIDDLE

diddle, griddle, middle, piddle, riddle, twiddle

²fiddle

verb

fid·dledfid·dling \ˈfid-liŋ, ˈfi-d^əl-iŋ\

Definition of FIDDLE

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>

— fid·dler \ˈfid-lər, ˈfi-d^əl-ər\ noun

Examples of FIDDLE

1. Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
2. <the executive fiddled with a pen as she impatiently waited for the meeting to begin>

First Known Use of FIDDLE

14th century

Related to FIDDLE

Synonyms

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

Related Words

flit, flutter, twitter; quake, quiver, shake, shiver, shudder, tremble; pace

Near Antonyms

relax, rest, unwind; calm (down), still

Rhymes with FIDDLE

middle, riddle, twiddle