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CIDE DICTIONARY
OXFORD DICTIONARY
DEVIL DICTIONARY
THESAURUS
ROGET THESAURUS
fiddle
CIDE DICTIONARY
fiddle, n. [OE. fidele, fithele, AS. fi; akin to D. vedel, OHG. fidula, G. fiedel, Icel. fi, and perh. to E. viol. Cf. Viol.].
- A stringed instrument of music played with a bow; a violin; a kit. [1913 Webster]
- A kind of dock (
Rumex pulcher ) with fiddle-shaped leaves; -- called alsofiddle dock . [1913 Webster] - A rack or frame of bars connected by strings, to keep table furniture in place on the cabin table in bad weather. Ham. Nav. Encyc. [1913 Webster]
fiddle, v. i.
- To play on a fiddle. [1913 Webster]"Themistocles . . . said he could not fiddle, but he could make a small town a great city." [1913 Webster]
- To keep the hands and fingers actively moving as a fiddler does; to move the hands and fingers restlessy or in busy idleness; to trifle. [1913 Webster]"Talking, and fiddling with their hats and feathers." [1913 Webster]
fiddle, v. t.
To play (a tune) on a fiddle. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
fiddle, n. & v.
--n.
1 colloq. or derog. a stringed instrument played with a bow, esp. a violin.
2 colloq. an instance of cheating or fraud.
3 Naut. a contrivance for stopping things from rolling or sliding off a table in bad weather.
--v.
1 intr. a (often foll. by with, at) play restlessly. b (often foll. by about) move aimlessly. c act idly or frivolously. d (usu. foll. by with) make minor adjustments; tinker (esp. in an attempt to make improvements).
2 tr. sl. a cheat, swindle. b falsify. c get by cheating.
3 a intr. play the fiddle. b tr. play (a tune etc.) on the fiddle.
--n.
1 colloq. or derog. a stringed instrument played with a bow, esp. a violin.
2 colloq. an instance of cheating or fraud.
3 Naut. a contrivance for stopping things from rolling or sliding off a table in bad weather.
--v.
1 intr. a (often foll. by with, at) play restlessly. b (often foll. by about) move aimlessly. c act idly or frivolously. d (usu. foll. by with) make minor adjustments; tinker (esp. in an attempt to make improvements).
2 tr. sl. a cheat, swindle. b falsify. c get by cheating.
3 a intr. play the fiddle. b tr. play (a tune etc.) on the fiddle.
Idiom
as fit as a fiddle in very good health. face as long as a fiddle a dismal face. fiddle-back a fiddle-shaped back of a chair or front of a chasuble. fiddle-head a scroll-like carving at a ship's bows. fiddle pattern the pattern of spoons and forks with fiddle-shaped handles. play second (or first) fiddle take a subordinate (or leading) role.
Etymology
OE fithele f. Gmc f. a Rmc root rel. to VIOL
DEVIL DICTIONARY
fiddle
n. An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail on the entrails of a cat.
To Rome said Nero: "If to smoke you turn
I shall not cease to fiddle while you burn."
To Nero Rome replied: "Pray do your worst,
'Tis my excuse that you were fiddling first."
Orm Pludge
THESAURUS
fiddle
A string, Amati, Cremona, D string, E string, G string, Strad, Stradivari, Stradivarius, alter, bass, bass viol, bow, bridge, bull fiddle, cello, cheat, contrabass, cook, coquet, crowd, dabble, dally, doodle, double bass, falsify, feel, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fiddlebow, fiddlestick, fidget, fidget with, finagle, finger with, fingerboard, fix, flimflam, flirt, fool, fool around, fool with, fraud, fribble, frivol, handle, horse around, idle, interfere with, jerk off, kid around, kit, kit fiddle, kit violin, loiter, meddle with, mess, mess around, monkey, monkey around, monkey business, piddle, play, play around, play violin, play with, potter, puddle, putter, racket, saw, scrape, scroll, skin game, smatter, soundboard, string, swindle, tamper with, tenor violin, thimblerig, tinker, touch, toy, toy with, trifle, tuning peg, twiddle, viol, viola, violin, violinette, violoncello, violoncello piccolo, violone, violottaROGET THESAURUS
fiddle
Musician
VB play, pipe, strike up, sweep the chords, tweedle, fiddle, strike the lyre, beat the drum, blow the horn, sound the horn, wind the horn, doodle, grind the organ, touch the guitar, thrum, strum, beat time, execute, perform, accompany, sing a second, play a second, compose, set to music, arrange, sing, chaunt, chant, hum, warble, carol, chirp, chirrup, lilt, purl, quaver, trill, shake, twitter, whistle, sol-fa, intone, have an ear for music, have a musical ear, have a correct ear.Musical Instruments
N musical instruments, band, string-band, brass-band, orchestra, orchestrina, monochord, polychord, harp, lyre, lute, archlute, mandola, mandolin, mandoline, guitar, zither, cither, cithern, gittern, rebeck, bandurria, bandura, banjo, bina, vina, xanorphica, viol, violin, fiddle, kit, viola, viola d'amore, viola di gamba, tenor, cremona, violoncello, bass, bass viol, base viol, theorbo, double base, contrabasso, violone, psaltery, bow, fiddlestick, piano, pianoforte, harpsichord, clavichord, clarichord, manichord, clavier, spinet, virginals, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, vielle, pianino, Eolian harp, organ, harmonium, harmoniphon, American organ, barrel organ, hand organ, accordion, seraphina, concertina, humming top, flute, fife, piccolo, flageolet, clarinet, claronet, basset horn, corno di bassetto, oboe, hautboy, cor Anglais, corno Inglese, bassoon, double bassoon, contrafagotto, serpent, bass clarinet, bagpipes, union pipes, musette, ocarina, Pandean pipes, reed instrument, sirene, pipe, pitch-pipe, sourdet, whistle, catcall, doodlesack, harmoniphone, horn, bugle, cornet, cornet-a-pistons, cornopean, clarion, trumpet, trombone, ophicleide, French horn, saxophone, sax, buglehorn, saxhorn, flugelhorn, althorn, helicanhorn, posthorn, sackbut, euphonium, bombardon tuba, cymbal, bell, gong, tambour, tambourine, tamborine, drum, tom-tom, tabor, tabret, tabourine, taborin, side drum, kettle drum, timpani, tympani, tymbal, timbrel, castanet, bones, musical glasses, musical stones, harmonica, sounding-board, rattle, tam-tam, zambomba, reed, tuning fork, triangle, Jew's harp, musical box, harmonicon, xylophone, sordine, sordet, sourdine, sourdet, mute, (iv) PERCEPTION OF SOUND.For further exploring for "fiddle" in Webster Dictionary Online
