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fiddle about

Definition of fiddle about

chiefly British
:to spend time in activity that does not have a real purpose
  • They spent hours just fiddling about when they should have been working.

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Word by Word Definitions

fiddle play

  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

  1. : to play on a fiddle

  2. : to move the hands or fingers restlessly

  3. : to spend time in aimless or fruitless activity : putter, tinker

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