fiddled

Variant of fiddle

noun

  1. Informal any stringed instrument played with a bow, esp. the violin
  2. Slang a petty swindle
  3. Naut. a frame or railing on a ship's table to keep dishes, etc. from sliding off in rough weather

Origin: ME fithele < OE < VL *vitula < L vitulari, to rejoice: vi- (< IE *woi-, wi-, outcry > OE wi, Gr ia) + ? base of tollere, to raise, exalt

transitive verb fiddled, fiddling

  1. Informal to play (a tune) on a fiddle
  2. Slang to swindle in a petty way

intransitive verb

  1. Informal to play a fiddle
  2. to play or tinker (with), esp. in a nervous way
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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