fiddle

fiddle
/fid"l/, n., v., fiddled, fiddling.
n.
1. a musical instrument of the viol family.
2. violin: Her aunt plays first fiddle with the state symphony orchestra.
3. Naut. a small ledge or barrier raised in heavy weather to keep dishes, pots, utensils, etc., from sliding off tables and stoves.
4. Brit. Informal. swindle; fraud.
5. fine as a fiddle, South Midland and Southern U.S. See fiddle (def. 6).
6. 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.
7. play second fiddle. See second fiddle.
v.i.
8. to play on the fiddle.
9. to make trifling or fussing movements with the hands (often fol. by with): fiddling with his cuffs.
10. 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.
11. to waste time; trifle; dally (often fol. by around): Stop fiddling around and get to work.
12. Brit. Informal. to cheat.
v.t.
13. to play (a tune) on a fiddle.
14. to trifle or waste (usually used with away): to fiddle time away.
15. Bookbinding. to bind together (sections or leaves of a book) by threading a cord through holes cut lengthwise into the back.
16. Brit. Informal.
a. to falsify: to fiddle the account books.
b. to cheat: to fiddle the company out of expense money.
[bef. 1000; ME; OE fithele (c. G Fiedel, D vedel, OHG fidula) prob. < VL *vitula (cf. VIOL, VIOLA1), perh. deriv. of L vitulari to rejoice]

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▪ lute
German  Fiedel,  French  Vielle,  

      medieval European bowed, stringed musical instrument. The medieval fiddle, a forerunner of the violin, emerged in 10th-century Europe, possibly deriving from the lira, a Byzantine version of the rabāb, an Arab bowed instrument. Medieval fiddles varied in size and shape but characteristically had front or back tuning pegs set in a flat and round or heart-shaped peg disk with three to five strings tuned in fifths (as c–g–d′, etc.). The body was often waisted.

      “Fiddle” also refers generically to any bowed, stringed instrument with a neck (bowed lute), especially the violin. If the neck appears to skewer the body, the instrument is called a spike fiddle.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • fiddle — fid‧dle [ˈfɪdl] verb [transitive] informal to give false information about something in order to avoid paying money, or to get extra money: • It would be naive to think that staff never fiddle their expenses. • Auditors ensure that employers or… …   Financial and business terms

  • Fiddle — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El término Fiddle, hace referencia a cualquier instrumento musical de cuerda que se hace sonar con arco, lo que incluye al violín. Se trata de un término coloquial para aquellos instrumentos utilizados por músicos en …   Wikipedia Español

  • Fiddle — Fid dle (f[i^]d d l), n. [OE. fidele, fithele, AS. fi[eth]ele; akin to D. vedel, OHG. fidula, G. fiedel, Icel. fi[eth]la, and perh. to E. viol. Cf. {Viol}.] 1. (Mus.) A stringed instrument of music played with a bow; a violin; a kit. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fiddle — est un mot anglais qui signifie « violon », mais avec une connotation plus populaire que violin (qui est le terme anglais usuel pour désigner un violon, en particulier un violon de musique classique). Il s agit de l instrument de celui… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • fiddle — ► NOUN 1) informal a violin. 2) informal, chiefly Brit. an act of fraud or cheating. 3) informal an unnecessarily intricate or awkward task. ► VERB informal 1) touch or fidget with something restlessly or nervously. 2) chiefly Brit. falsify… …   English terms dictionary

  • fiddle — [fid′ l] n. [ME fithele < OE < VL * vitula < L vitulari, to rejoice: vi (< IE * woi , wi , outcry > OE wi, Gr ia) + ? base of tollere, to raise, exalt] 1. Informal any stringed instrument played with a bow, esp. the violin ☆ 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • Fiddle — Fid dle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fiddled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fiddling}.] 1. To play on a fiddle. [1913 Webster] Themistocles . . . said he could not fiddle, but he could make a small town a great city. Bacon. [1913 Webster] 2. To keep the hands and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fiddle — Fid dle, v. t. To play (a tune) on a fiddle. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fiddle —   [englisch, fɪdl], Violine …   Universal-Lexikon

  • fiddle — англ. [фидл] Fidel, Fiedel нем. [фи/дэль] fidula лат. [фи/дула] фидель, старин. смычковый инструм …   Словарь иностранных музыкальных терминов

  • fiddle — [v] mess with, tinker dabble, doodle, feel, fidget, finger, fool, handle, interfere, mess, mess around*, monkey*, play, potter, puddle, putter, tamper, touch, toy, trifle, twiddle; concepts 87,291 …   New thesaurus

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