fiddle

fiddle
    n 1: 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 [syn: {violin}, {fiddle}]
    v 1: avoid (one's assigned duties); "The derelict soldier
         shirked his duties" [syn: {fiddle}, {shirk}, {shrink from},
         {goldbrick}]
    2: commit fraud and steal from one's employer; "We found out
       that she had been fiddling for years"
    3: play the violin or fiddle
    4: play on a violin; "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely"
    5: 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" [syn: {toy}, {fiddle}, {diddle}, {play}]
    6: 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" [syn: {tamper},
       {fiddle}, {monkey}]
    7: 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" [syn: {tinker}, {fiddle}]
    

Fiddle \Fid"dle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fiddled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Fiddling}.]
   1. To play on a fiddle.
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            Themistocles . . . said he could not fiddle, but he
            could make a small town a great city. --Bacon.
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   2. 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.
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            Talking, and fiddling with their hats and feathers.
                                                  --Pepys.
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Fiddle \Fid"dle\ (f[i^]d"d'l), n. [OE. fidele, fithele, AS.
   fi[eth]ele; akin to D. vedel, OHG. fidula, G. fiedel, Icel.
   fi[eth]la, and perh. to E. viol. Cf. {Viol}.]
   1. (Mus.) A stringed instrument of music played with a bow; a
      violin; a kit.
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   2. (Bot.) A kind of dock ({Rumex pulcher}) with fiddle-shaped
      leaves; -- called also {fiddle dock}.
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   3. (Naut.) 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.
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   {Fiddle beetle} (Zool.), 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} (Zool.), 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.]
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Fiddle \Fid"dle\, v. t.
   To play (a tune) on a fiddle.
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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
    

96 Moby Thesaurus words for "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