fiddling Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb avoid (one's assigned duties)
    goldbrick; shrink from; shirk; fiddle.
    • The derelict soldier shirked his duties
  2. verb commit fraud and steal from one's employer
    fiddle.
    • We found out that she had been fiddling for years
  3. verb play the violin or fiddle
    fiddle.
  4. verb play on a violin
    fiddle.
    • Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely
  5. verb manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
    diddle; toy; fiddle; play.
    • She played nervously with her wedding ring
    • Don't fiddle with the screws
    • He played with the idea of running for the Senate
  6. verb play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly
    tamper; fiddle; monkey.
    • Someone tampered with the documents on my desk
    • The reporter fiddle with the facts
  7. verb try to fix or mend
    tinker; fiddle.
    • Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it's not working right
    • She always fiddles with her van on the weekend
  8. adjective satellite (informal) small and of little importance
    little; petty; footling; piffling; niggling; trivial; piddling; picayune; lilliputian.
    • a fiddling sum of money
    • a footling gesture
    • our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war
    • a little (or small) matter
    • a dispute over niggling details
    • limited to petty enterprises
    • piffling efforts
    • giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction

WordNet