Word Study

: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

[2x]

: F Fæ Fê Fö Fœ F. Fa Fb Fc Fd Fe Fh Fi Fj Fl Fm Fn Fo Fp Fr Fs Ft Fu Fw Fy

Table of Contents POS
HYPHEN
WORDNET DICTIONARY
CIDE DICTIONARY
OXFORD DICTIONARY
DEVIL DICTIONARY
THESAURUS
ROGET THESAURUS

fiddle

POS

Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

HYPHEN

fid=dle

top

WORDNET DICTIONARY

Noun fiddle has 1 sense

fiddle(n = noun.artifact) violin - bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow; Array

has particulars: amati, guarnerius, strad, stradavarius

is a kind of bowed stringed instrument, string

has parts: chin rest, fiddlestick, violin bow

Derived form verb fiddle₃

Verb fiddle has 7 senses

fiddle(v = verb.social) goldbrick, shirk, shrink from - avoid (one's assigned duties); "The derelict soldier shirked his duties"

is one way to avoid

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something

fiddle(v = verb.possession) Array - commit fraud and steal from one's employer; "We found out that she had been fiddling for years"

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s

fiddle(v = verb.creation) Array - play the violin or fiddle; Array

is one way to

play

Derived forms noun fiddle₁, noun fiddler₁

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s

fiddle(v = verb.creation) Array - play on a violin; "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely"

is one way to

play

spiel

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something

fiddle(v = verb.contact) diddle, play, toy - manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination; "She played nervously with her wedding ring"; "Don't fiddle with the screws"; "He played with the idea of running for the Senate"

is one way to manipulate

Derived form noun fiddler₂

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s PP

fiddle(v = verb.contact) monkey, tamper - play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly; "Someone tampered with the documents on my desk"; "The reporter fiddle with the facts"

is one way to manipulate

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something

fiddle(v = verb.change) tinker - try to fix or mend; "Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it's not working right"; "She always fiddles with her van on the weekend"

is one way to bushel, doctor, fix, furbish up, mend, repair, restore, touch on

Derived form noun fiddler₃

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s PP

top

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 also fiddle 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 beetle (Zoöl.), a Japanese carabid beetle (Damaster blaptoides); -- so called from the form of the body. -- Fiddle block (Naut.), a long tackle block having two sheaves of different diameters in the same plane, instead of side by side as in a common double block. Knight. -- Fiddle bow, fiddlestick. -- Fiddle fish (Zoöl.), the angel fish. -- Fiddle head, See fiddle head in the vocabulary. -- Fiddle pattern, a form of the handles of spoons, forks, etc., somewhat like a violin. -- Scotch fiddle, the itch. (Low) -- To play first fiddle, or To play second fiddle, to take a leading or a subordinate part. [Colloq.]

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]

top

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.

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

top

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

top

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, violotta

top

ROGET 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