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Fidget vs Fiddle - What's the difference?

fidget | fiddle |

As verbs the difference between fidget and fiddle

is that fidget is to wiggle or twitch; to move around nervously or idly while fiddle is to play aimlessly.

As nouns the difference between fidget and fiddle

is that fidget is a person who fidgets, especially habitually while fiddle is any of various bowed string instruments, often used to refer to a violin when played in any of various traditional styles, as opposed to classical violin.

fidget

English

Verb

  • To wiggle or twitch; to move around nervously or idly.
  • * 1883:
  • "Look, Jim, how my fingers fidget ," he continued, in the pleading tone. "I can't keep e'm still, not I."
  • To cause to fidget; to make uneasy.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1905, author=
  • , title= , chapter=1 citation , passage= “Do I fidget you ?” he asked apologetically, whilst his long bony fingers buried themselves, string, knots, and all, into the capacious pockets of his magnificent tweed ulster.}}

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) A person who fidgets, especially habitually.
  • See also

    * have the fidgets

    Anagrams

    *

    fiddle

    English

    (wikipedia fiddle)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (music) Any of various bowed string instruments, often used to refer to a violin when played in any of various traditional styles, as opposed to classical violin.
  • When I play it like this, it's a fiddle; when I play it like that, it's a violin.
  • A kind of dock (Rumex pulcher ) with leaves shaped like the musical instrument.
  • An adjustment intended to cover up a basic flaw.
  • That parameter setting is just a fiddle to make the lighting look right.
  • A fraud; a scam.
  • (nautical) On board a ship or boat, a rail or batten around the edge of a table or stove to prevent objects falling off at sea. (Also fiddle rail )
  • Synonyms

    * (instrument) violin

    Derived terms

    * fiddle brake * fiddle factor * fiddle-faddle * fiddlehead * fiddly * first fiddle * fit as a fiddle * lead fiddle * second fiddle

    See also

    * crowd, crwth

    Verb

    (fiddl)
  • To play aimlessly.
  • * Samuel Pepys
  • Talking, and fiddling with their hats and feathers.
    You're fiddling your life away.
  • To adjust in order to cover a basic flaw or fraud etc.
  • I needed to fiddle the lighting parameters to get the image to look right.
    Fred was sacked when the auditors caught him fiddling the books.
  • (music) To play traditional tunes on a violin in a non-classical style.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Themistocles said he could not fiddle , but he could make a small town a great city.

    Synonyms

    * (to adjust in order to cover a basic flaw) fudge

    Derived terms

    * fiddle about * fiddle around * fiddle the books * fiddle with * fiddler

    See also

    * fritter