/ ˈtwɪdl; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( BrE ) twiddle (with) sth to twist or turn sth with your fingers often because you are nervous or bored :
[ v ]
He twiddled with the radio knob until he found the right programme.
[ vn ]
She was twiddling the ring on her finger.
•
IDIOMS
- twiddle your thumbs
■ noun
1.
( BrE ) a twist or turn :
a twiddle of the knob
2.
a decorative twist in a pattern, piece of music, etc. :
twiddles on the clarinet
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (in the sense trifle ): apparently imitative, combining the notion twirl or twist with that of trifling action expressed by fiddle .