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fiddle

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fid⋅dle

  [fid-l] noun, verb, -dled, -dling.
–noun
1. a musical instrument of the viol family.
2. violin: Her aunt plays first fiddle with the state symphony orchestra.
3. Nautical. a small ledge or barrier raised in heavy weather to keep dishes, pots, utensils, etc., from sliding off tables and stoves.
4. British Informal. swindle; fraud.
–verb (used without object)
5. to play on the fiddle.
6. to make trifling or fussing movements with the hands (often fol. by with): fiddling with his cuffs.
7. to touch or manipulate something, as to operate or adjust it; tinker (often fol. by with): You may have to fiddle with the antenna to get a clear picture on the TV.
8. to waste time; trifle; dally (often fol. by around): Stop fiddling around and get to work.
9. British Informal. to cheat.
–verb (used with object)
10. to play (a tune) on a fiddle.
11. to trifle or waste (usually used with away): to fiddle time away.
12. Bookbinding. to bind together (sections or leaves of a book) by threading a cord through holes cut lengthwise into the back.
13. British Informal.
a. to falsify: to fiddle the account books.
b. to cheat: to fiddle the company out of expense money.
—Idioms
14. fine as a fiddle, South Midland and Southern U.S. fiddle (def. 15).
15. fit as a fiddle, in perfect health; very fit: The doctor told him he was fit as a fiddle. Also, as fit as a fiddle.
16. play second fiddle. second fiddle.
Use fiddle in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE fithele (c. G Fiedel, D vedel, OHG fidula) prob. < VL *vītula (cf. viol, viola 1 ), perh. deriv. of L vītulārī to rejoice
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Music Outlet, Inc. VA
Guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Orchestra. Sales, Service, Tuning & Lessons.
musicoutletinc.com
Fiddle & Violin Packages
21 models Free DVD & Lesson Book Free Shipping, Tuned, Ready To Play
www.thefiddlebarn.com
fid·dle   (fĭd'l)   
n.  

    1. A violin.

    2. A member of the violin family.

  2. Nautical A guardrail used on a table during rough weather to prevent things from slipping off.

  3. Informal Nonsensical, trifling matters: "There are things that are important/beyond all this fiddle" (Marianne Moore).

  4. The act or an instance of cheating or swindling; a fraud.

v.   fid·dled, fid·dling, fid·dles

v.   intr.

  1. To play a violin.

    1. To move one's fingers or hands in a nervous fashion.

    2. To occupy oneself in an aimless or desultory way: liked to fiddle with all the knobs and dials.

    3. To meddle or tamper: a reporter who fiddled with the facts.

  3. To commit a fraud, especially to steal from one's employer.

v.   tr.

  1. To play (a tune) on a violin.

  2. To cheat or swindle.

  3. To alter or falsify (accounts, for example) for dishonest gain.

Phrasal Verb(s):
fiddle awayTo waste or squander: fiddled away the morning with unnecessary tasks.

[Middle English fidle, from Old English fithele.]
fid'dler n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

fiddle

Another name for the violin; fiddle is the more common term for the instrument as played in folk music and bluegrass.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fiddle  (n.)
O.E. fiðele, related to O.N. fiðla, M.Du. vedele, Ger. Fiedel, all probably from M.L. vitula "stringed instrument," perhaps related to L. vitularia "celebrate joyfully," from Vitula, Roman goddess of joy and victory, who probably, like her name, originated among the Sabines. The verb is from 1377; the fig. sense of "to act idly" is from 1530. The word has been relegated to colloquial usage by its more proper cousin, violin (q.v.), a process encouraged by phraseology such as fiddlestick (15c., originally "the bow of a fiddle;" meaning "nonsense" is from 1621) and fiddle-faddle (1577), which is unrelated, being a reduplication of obsolete faddle "to trifle." Fiddler's Green first recorded 1825, from sailors' slang. Fiddler crab is from 1714. Fiddle-head "one with a head as hollow as a fiddle" is from 1887. Fit as a fiddle is from 1616.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

fiddle

In addition to the idiom beginning with fiddle, also see fit as a fiddle; hang up (one's fiddle); play second fiddle.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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