fiddle
noun
[ ˈfɪd(ə)l ]
• a violin.
• an act of defrauding, cheating, or falsifying.
• "a major mortgage fiddle"
Similar:
fraud,
swindle,
fix,
wangle,
confidence trick,
ruse,
wile,
piece of deception,
bit of sharp practice,
racket,
con trick,
flimflam,
sting,
• a small task that seems awkward and unnecessarily complex.
• "inserting a tape is a bit of a fiddle"
• a ledge or raised rim that prevents things from rolling or sliding off a table in rough seas.
fiddle
verb
• touch or fidget with something in a restless or nervous way.
• "Lena fiddled with her cup"
Similar:
fidget,
play,
toy,
twiddle,
fuss,
fool about,
fool around,
trifle,
finger,
thumb,
handle,
feel,
touch,
waste time,
act aimlessly,
mess about,
mess around,
paw,
• falsify (figures, data, or records), typically in order to gain money.
• "everyone is fiddling their expenses"
Similar:
falsify,
manipulate,
massage,
rig,
distort,
pervert,
misrepresent,
juggle,
doctor,
alter,
tamper with,
interfere with,
cook,
fix,
diddle,
finagle,
flimflam,
cook the books,
• play the violin.
Origin:
Old English fithele, denoting a violin or similar instrument (originally not an informal or depreciatory term), related to Dutch vedel and German Fiedel, based on Latin vitulari ‘celebrate a festival, be joyful’, perhaps from Vitula, the name of a Roman goddess of joy and victory. Compare with viol.
on the fiddle
• engaged in cheating or swindling.
