n.
Function: verb
Inflected Form: fid · dled ; fid · dling \ ' fid-li ŋ , ' fi-d ə l-i ŋ \
Date: 14th century
intransitive verb
1 : to play on a fiddle
2 a : to move the hands or fingers restlessly b : to spend time in aimless or fruitless activity : PUTTER , TINKER < fiddled around with the engine for hours> c : MEDDLE , TAMPER d : to make minor manual movements especially to adjust something < fiddled with the radio knobs>
transitive verb
1 : to play (as a tune) on a fiddle
2 : CHEAT , SWINDLE
3 : to alter or manipulate deceptively for fraudulent gain <accountants fiddling the books ― Stanley Cohen>
– fid · dler \ ' fid-l ə r, ' fi-d ə l- ə r \ noun