Fiddle

/ˈfɪd.əl/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A stringed musical instrument of the violin family, played with a bow.

He played a lively tune on his fiddle at the gathering.

A fraudulent or deceptive act.

They discovered a fiddle in the accounting books that led to an investigation.

An act of manipulation or adjustment.

He made a few quick fiddles with the settings before starting the experiment.

verb

To play the fiddle or violin.

She loves to fiddle with her friends during the summer evenings.

To manipulate or tinker with something in a careless or ineffective manner.

Stop fiddling with that old radio and just buy a new one.

To engage in aimless or distracting activity.

He was fiddling around instead of working on his project.

Middle English 'fidel', from Old French 'fidel' referring to a stringed instrument.

fiddle around

To spend time doing unimportant things.

fiddle while Rome burns

To occupy oneself with trivial matters while ignoring an important issue.

fiddle with

To make small adjustments to something.

violin

A wooden string instrument played with a bow.

tweak

To make small adjustments to something.

dawdle

To spend time idly or without purpose.

To cheat.

He tried to fiddle the results of the game.

To waste time.

Don't fiddle; we need to finish this project.