fiddle1 nounfiddle2 verb
fiddlefid‧dle1 /ˈfɪdl/ noun [countable] informal 
WORD ORIGINfiddle1
Origin:
1200-1300 Medieval Latin vitula ‘instrument played at ceremonies’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Managers don't really get paid much here, but most of them are working a few fiddles.
- The firm realised some sort of fiddle was going on, but they had no idea how much they were losing.
- Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
- Herron rounded out the band with some fiddle and steel guitar.
- Majella took up the fiddle, I got an accordion and Mary got a banjo.
- One boy had brought his fiddle and played a tune.
- She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
- So a bit of fiddle, but nothing really egregious.
- The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
- Within three weeks I was again as fit as Carl's fiddle.
Longman Language Activatorwhen people are dishonest in order to get money
the crime of getting money dishonestly from a big organization, for example by giving false information or changing documents, especially over a long time: · Big losses due to theft and fraud forced the company to close.· Landale is calling for more laws to protect consumers against fraud.
informal a method, usually used by several people working together, who cheat someone by making them believe something that is not true: · I spent more than $4000 before I realized the whole thing was a scam.scam to do something: · She and her boyfriend were involved in a scam to get $5 million from the company.tax scam (=a way of dishonestly avoiding paying tax)
a well-planned and often complicated arrangement to cheat people: · Young was convicted for his participation in a $2 million stock swindle.· The whole property development proposal was a swindle. They never intended to build anything.
British a situation in which people are cheated, especially in small ways over a long period of time: · The firm realised some sort of fiddle was going on, but they had no idea how much they were losing.work a fiddle (=do a fiddle): · Managers don't really get paid much here, but most of them are working a few fiddles.
a method or process of persuading someone to buy something or to give you money by telling them lies: · A lot of people gave money to the charity collectors, not realising it was a con.con trick British: · She wanted me to visit a fortune-teller but I thought it was all a big con trick.
an illegal business that is used by criminals to make a large profit for themselves: · The FBI believe they have found the real criminals behind a big gambling racket.· The Mafia runs a highly sophisticated drugs racket.
WORD SETSabet, verbaccusation, nounaccuse, verbaffray, nounarson, nounassault, nounassault and battery, nounbackhander, nounbattery, nounbigamy, nounblack market, nounblack marketeer, nounbreak-in, nounbreaking and entering, nouncaper, nouncapital, adjectivecarjacking, nouncat burglar, nouncontract, nouncosh, nouncounterfeit, adjectivecounterfeit, verbcover, nouncrack, verbcriminal, adjectivecriminal, nouncriminal law, nouncriminal record, nouncriminology, nouncrook, nounculpable, adjectiveculprit, noundefamation, noundefraud, verbdelinquency, noundelinquent, adjectivedelinquent, noundesperado, noundisorderly, adjectivedrug baron, noundrug runner, nounDUI, nounembezzle, verbexpropriate, verbextort, verbeyewitness, nounfelon, nounfelony, nounfence, nounfiddle, nounfiddle, verbfiddler, nounfilch, verbfinger, verbfire-raising, nounfirst offender, nounflash, verbflasher, nounforge, verbforger, nounforgery, nounfoul play, nounframe, verbframe-up, nounfratricide, nounfraud, nounfreebooter, noungang, noungang-bang, noungang rape, noungangster, nounGBH, noungenocide, noungetaway, noungodfather, noungrand larceny, noungrass, noungrievous bodily harm, nounheist, nounhijack, verbhijack, nounhijacking, nounhit, nounhit-and-run, adjectivehit man, nounincriminate, verbindecent assault, nounindecent exposure, nouninfanticide, nounjob, nounjoyriding, nounjuvenile delinquent, nounkidnap, verblarceny, nounlibel, nounlibel, verblibellous, adjectivelow life, nounmafioso, nounmalpractice, nounmanslaughter, nounmassacre, nounmassacre, verbmatricide, nounmisappropriate, verbmisconduct, nounmisdeed, nounmisdemeanour, nounmobster, nounmoll, nounmug, verbmugshot, nounmurder, nounmurder, verbmurderer, nounmurderess, nounmuscleman, nounnark, nounnefarious, adjectiveneighbourhood watch, nounnick, verbno-go area, nounoffence, nounoffend, verboffender, nounold lag, nounorganized crime, nounoutlaw, nounparricide, nounpatricide, nounpetty larceny, nounPhotofit, nounpiracy, nounplant, verbpoach, verbpoacher, nounpossession, nounprivateer, nounprotection, nounprowl, verbprowler, nounpublic nuisance, nounpull, verbpunk, nounpurloin, verbraid, nounram-raiding, nounrape, verbrape, nounrapist, nounravish, verbreceiver, nounreceiving, nounrecidivist, nounregicide, nounring, nounringleader, nounriotous, adjectiverob, verbrobber, nounrobbery, nounroll, verbrustler, nounscheme, nounscheme, verbshady, adjectiveshoplift, verbshoplifting, nounslander, nounsmuggle, verbsnout, nounspeeding, nounstabbing, nounstalking, nounstatutory offence, nounstatutory rape, nounsteal, verbstoolpigeon, nounsupergrass, nounsuspect, nounswag, nountheft, nounthief, nounthievish, adjectivetorch, verbtraffic, nountrafficker, nountriad, noununder-the-counter, adjectiveunderworld, nounundesirable, nounvagrancy, nounvandal, nounvandalism, nounvandalize, verbvice, nounvigilante, nounvillainy, nounviolate, verbviolation, nounwanted, adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
She’s over eighty now, but still as fit as a fiddle (=very fit).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
She’s over eighty now, but still as fit as a fiddle (=very fit).· You seem fit as a fiddle, Mr Blake.· Today she's as fit as a fiddle - thanks to research funded by efforts such as Beefy's.
VERB· He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.· But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.· Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.· Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.· She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.· The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.· Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.· Instead of playing the fiddle, they could sip cocktails and play poker while nuclear war devastated the world outside their bunker.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1a violin2British English a dishonest way of getting money: - Gary was fiddling with his wedding band when his illumination came.
- I was fiddling around with a couple of tracks, trying various things.
- I was fiddling blindly with files, my eyes full of terrible possibilities.
- I was fiddling with the tuner, trying to get a station with news.
- In the rear seat of the limousine Galvone was fiddling with his listening apparatus.
- She was fiddling self-consciously with her wedding ring, twisting it around below her knuckle.
- The following week he was fiddling with it in his lap at the start of the lesson.
- He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
- But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
- Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
- He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
- Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
- She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
- So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
- The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
- Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
an insurance fiddleon the fiddle They suspected he was on the fiddle (=getting money dishonestly or illegally) all along.3 be a fiddle to be difficult to do and involve complicated movements of your hands: This blouse is a bit of a fiddle to do up. → fit as a fiddle at fit2(1), → play second fiddle (to somebody) at play1(22)fiddle1 nounfiddle2 verb
fiddlefiddle2 verb VERB TABLE
fiddle
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | fiddle |
| he, she, it | fiddles | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | fiddled |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have fiddled |
| he, she, it | has fiddled | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had fiddled |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will fiddle |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have fiddled |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am fiddling |
| he, she, it | is fiddling | |
| you, we, they | are fiddling | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was fiddling |
| you, we, they | were fiddling | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been fiddling |
| he, she, it | has been fiddling | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been fiddling |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be fiddling |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been fiddling |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- My boss thinks I've been fiddling my travel expenses.
- The company secretary has been fiddling the books for years.
- Gary was fiddling with his wedding band when his illumination came.
- His wife fiddled with her spoons, putting the dessert spoon into the curve of the soup spoon.
- I fiddle at my computer for a while, trying to figure out what to say.
- In the hushed surroundings of a smart restaurant, Boon fiddles enigmatically with a fob watch on a neck chain.
- Obligingly, I did, and he fiddled with the lock.
- She was sitting at her desk in the living room, fiddling with a pencil and drinking from a bottle of beer.
- The mechanics fiddled with my ship.
- We had fiddled in Maastricht while Sarajevo began to burn.
Longman Language Activatorto get money or possessions from someone dishonestly
· He doesn't trust car mechanics -- he thinks they're all trying to cheat him.cheat somebody out of something · She says she was cheated out of $10,000 she paid to a modeling agency.· Cohen claimed that criminals posing as salesmen cheat Americans out of billions of dollars each year.
to get money from a person or organization by cheating them, especially using clever and complicated methods: · He was jailed in 1992 for attempting to swindle the insurance company he worked for.swindle somebody out of something: · Investors have been swindled out of millions of pounds.
especially spoken to persuade someone to buy something or to give you money by telling them lies: · By the time she realized she had been conned, she had lost more than $3000.con somebody out of something: · The old lady was conned out of her life savings by a crooked insurance dealer.con something out of somebody: · A man pretending to be a faith healer has conned around £20,000 out of desperate sick people.con somebody into doing something: · She was too embarrassed to admit that they had conned her into buying 100 acres of worthless land.
British informal to give false information or make dishonest changes to financial records, in order to get money or avoid paying money: · My boss thinks I've been fiddling my travel expenses.fiddle the books/fiddle the accounts (=change a company's financial records): · The company secretary has been fiddling the books for years.
to get money from a company or organization, especially a very large one, by deceiving it: · Trachtenberg is charged with attempting to defraud his business partner.defraud somebody (out) of something: · Between them they defrauded the company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
informal to get a lot of money from someone by tricking them: · She fleeced him for everything he had.· Authorities estimate at least 300 elderly couples were fleeced in the scheme.fleece somebody of something: · She estimates he fleeced her of about £50,000 by tricking her into buying fake antiques.
to get money or possessions from someone, by tricking or deceiving them: · Police are warning residents to be on their guard after two men tricked a pensioner out of several hundred pounds.· Megan was tricked out of her life savings by a smooth-talking handsome man who had promised to marry her.
especially British, informal to cheat someone by not giving them money that they deserve or that they are owed: · The way I see it, they've done me out of three weeks' wages.· She's convinced the sales assistant did her out of £15.
spoken use this to say that someone has been cheated but they do not realize it: · I hate to tell you this but you've been had. The antique clock you bought is a phoney.
to hold something and turn it around in your hands to hold something and turn it around in your hands, for example to examine it or use it: · Please do not handle the fruit and vegetables.· This violin is very old and valuable and must be handled carefully.
to hold something small and keep turning it around in your hands, especially because you are nervous or bored: · Martina was fiddling nervously with her pen.· Stop fiddling with the remote control!
to hold something in your hands and turn it around continuously for no reason: · She played with the red roses on the table as she talked.· Is it worth reading to our kids when they're busy playing with their hair or their teddy bears? Yes.
to hold something with your fingers or in your hand, trying to move it in some way, but doing it carelessly or with difficulty: · She could hear someone fumbling with the handle of her door.· I fumbled drunkenly with the keys, dropping them to the floor.· He stood before them, his eyes lowered, fumbling with his hat.
to put your hand on someone or something to put your fingers or hand onto someone or something: · Don't touch the plates - they're hot!· I cut my knee last week, and it still hurts if I touch it.· Barry never lets anyone touch the piano.· "What are you thinking?" she asked, touching his arm.
to touch something in order to find out how hard or soft, hot, cold etc it is: · Just feel this material - it's so soft!· The nurse felt his forehead to see if he had a fever.· "The flowers look so real - I can't believe they're silk," she said, feeling the petals.
to move your hand over something and feel the surface of it: · She ran her hand over the satiny black surface of the piano.· The man took off his cap and ran his hand through his thick brown hair.· I ran my hand along the wall, looking for a light switch.
to move your hands or fingers quickly backwards and forwards over part of your body, while pressing down, especially in order to make a pain less severe: · Colin yawned and rubbed his eyes.· Could you rub my neck? It's really stiff.· Bill had fallen on the path and was rubbing his knee.
to rub your finger nails hard on part of your skin, for example because it itches: · Don't scratch - the rash will get infected.· He sat scratching his head, trying to think of the answer.· There's a spot in the middle of my back that itches - can you scratch it for me?
to hold something small in your hands and keep moving it around, especially because you are nervous or bored: · She fiddled nervously with her watch strap.· Stop fiddling with your toys and pay attention.
WORD SETSabet, verbaccusation, nounaccuse, verbaffray, nounarson, nounassault, nounassault and battery, nounbackhander, nounbattery, nounbigamy, nounblack market, nounblack marketeer, nounbreak-in, nounbreaking and entering, nouncaper, nouncapital, adjectivecarjacking, nouncat burglar, nouncontract, nouncosh, nouncounterfeit, adjectivecounterfeit, verbcover, nouncrack, verbcriminal, adjectivecriminal, nouncriminal law, nouncriminal record, nouncriminology, nouncrook, nounculpable, adjectiveculprit, noundefamation, noundefraud, verbdelinquency, noundelinquent, adjectivedelinquent, noundesperado, noundisorderly, adjectivedrug baron, noundrug runner, nounDUI, nounembezzle, verbexpropriate, verbextort, verbeyewitness, nounfelon, nounfelony, nounfence, nounfiddle, nounfiddle, verbfiddler, nounfilch, verbfinger, verbfire-raising, nounfirst offender, nounflash, verbflasher, nounforge, verbforger, nounforgery, nounfoul play, nounframe, verbframe-up, nounfratricide, nounfraud, nounfreebooter, noungang, noungang-bang, noungang rape, noungangster, nounGBH, noungenocide, noungetaway, noungodfather, noungrand larceny, noungrass, noungrievous bodily harm, nounheist, nounhijack, verbhijack, nounhijacking, nounhit, nounhit-and-run, adjectivehit man, nounincriminate, verbindecent assault, nounindecent exposure, nouninfanticide, nounjob, nounjoyriding, nounjuvenile delinquent, nounkidnap, verblarceny, nounlibel, nounlibel, verblibellous, adjectivelow life, nounmafioso, nounmalpractice, nounmanslaughter, nounmassacre, nounmassacre, verbmatricide, nounmisappropriate, verbmisconduct, nounmisdeed, nounmisdemeanour, nounmobster, nounmoll, nounmug, verbmugshot, nounmurder, nounmurder, verbmurderer, nounmurderess, nounmuscleman, nounnark, nounnefarious, adjectiveneighbourhood watch, nounnick, verbno-go area, nounoffence, nounoffend, verboffender, nounold lag, nounorganized crime, nounoutlaw, nounparricide, nounpatricide, nounpetty larceny, nounPhotofit, nounpiracy, nounplant, verbpoach, verbpoacher, nounpossession, nounprivateer, nounprotection, nounprowl, verbprowler, nounpublic nuisance, nounpull, verbpunk, nounpurloin, verbraid, nounram-raiding, nounrape, verbrape, nounrapist, nounravish, verbreceiver, nounreceiving, nounrecidivist, nounregicide, nounring, nounringleader, nounriotous, adjectiverob, verbrobber, nounrobbery, nounroll, verbrustler, nounscheme, nounscheme, verbshady, adjectiveshoplift, verbshoplifting, nounslander, nounsmuggle, verbsnout, nounspeeding, nounstabbing, nounstalking, nounstatutory offence, nounstatutory rape, nounsteal, verbstoolpigeon, nounsupergrass, nounsuspect, nounswag, nountheft, nounthief, nounthievish, adjectivetorch, verbtraffic, nountrafficker, nountriad, noununder-the-counter, adjectiveunderworld, nounundesirable, nounvagrancy, nounvandal, nounvandalism, nounvandalize, verbvice, nounvigilante, nounvillainy, nounviolate, verbviolation, nounwanted, adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She’s over eighty now, but still as fit as a fiddle (=very fit).
(=give false figures in a company’s financial records)
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES She’s over eighty now, but still as fit as a fiddle (=very fit).PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[intransitive] to keep moving and touching something, especially because you are bored or nervous: - He was never more than a B-movie actor, playing second fiddle to actors like Errol Flynn.
- But putts and drives will play second fiddle to schmoozing when top sports celebrities take center stage at the golf club.
- Even the lyrics tend to play second fiddle and are generally added after the main melody has been composed.
- He had been a reluctant ally and may well have resented playing second fiddle to his younger brother.
- Mr Pozsgay was simply fed up with playing second fiddle, a characteristic that was to re-emerge later.
- She might also have simply got tired of playing second fiddle to the Prince's pastimes.
- So often he has played second fiddle to Wright and notched only nine goals last season to his partner's 30.
- The locals were not satisfied playing second fiddle to Los Angeles.
- Throughout her married life she had to play second fiddle to the interests of her husband.
Stop fiddling, will you! I sat and fiddled at the computer for a while.fiddle with She was at her desk in the living room, fiddling with a deck of cards.2[transitive] British English informal to give false information about something, in order to avoid paying money or to get extra money: Bert had been fiddling his income tax for years.fiddle the books (=give false figures in a company’s financial records)3[intransitive] to play a violinfiddle around (also fiddle about British English) phrasal verb to waste time doing unimportant thingsfiddle around with something (also fiddle about with something British English) phrasal verb1to move the parts of a machine in order to try to make it work or repair it: I’ve been fiddling around with this old car for months but I still can’t get it to work.2to make small unnecessary changes to something – used to show disapproval SYN mess around with: Why did you let her fiddle about with the remote control? The bus company is always fiddling around with the schedules.fiddle with something phrasal verb1to move part of a machine in order to make it work, without knowing exactly what you should do: After fiddling with the tuning I finally got JFM.2to move or touch something that does not belong to you, in an annoying way: Don’t let him fiddle with my bag.