fiddle
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Any of different other bowed stringed instruments, particularly those of the violin family when played non-classically.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fiduhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfɪdəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
usually proscribed
Any of various other bowed stringed instruments, particularly those of the violin family when played non-classically.
A violin, a small unfretted stringed instrument with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) G-D-A-E, usually held against the chin, shoulder, chest or on the upper thigh and played with a bow.
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
figurative
Unskillful or unartful behavior, particularly when showy and superficially pleasing.
informal
A scam; a fraud or swindle.
informal
An act of tinkering, playing around, or fidgeting with something.
verb
intransitive
To play the fiddle or violin, particularly in a folk or country style.
“Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely.”
Play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly
intransitive
To fidget or play; to fuss; to idly amuse oneself, to act aimlessly, idly, or frivolously, particularly out of nervousness or restlessness; see also fiddle with.
informaltransitive
To fraudulently manipulate (records, accounts, etc.) in order to cheat or swindle.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any of various other bowed stringed instruments, particularly those of the violin family when played non-classically.
Used this way, fiddle is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in family or home contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Family/home
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A musician who plays the violin.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Burrowing crab of American coastal regions having one claw much enlarged in the male.
Trivial nonsense.
Manipulate, as in a nervous or unconscious manner.
Someone who serves in a subordinate capacity or plays a secondary role.
Largest and lowest member of the violin family.
A stringed instrument that produces sounds by means of a wheel that rubs against the strings.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to play the fiddle or violin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.