Fiddle

subs. (common).—1.  A sharper; sometimes OLD FIDDLE. For synonyms, see ROOK.

  2.  (American).—A swindle. For synonyms, see SELL.

  3.  (thieves’).—A whip.

  4.  (thieves’).—See quot.

  1877.  W. H. THOMSON, Five Years’ Penal Servitude, i. 44. The taskmaster warder came in, bringing with him the ‘FIDDLE’ on which I was to play a tune called ‘Four pounds of oakum a day.’ It consisted of nothing but a piece of rope and a long crooked nail.

  5.  (stock exchange).—One-sixteenth part of a pound.

  1887.  G. D. ATKIN, House Scraps. Done at a FIDDLE.

  6.  (old).—A watchman’s or policeman’s rattle.

  1832.  W. T. MONCRIEFF, Tom and Jerry, Act II., Sc. 2. There’s one! go it, Jerry!—Come, Green. Log. Aye, come, Jerry, there’s the Charlies’ FIDDLES going. Jerry. Charlies’ FIDDLES?—I’m not fly, Doctor. Log. Rattles, Jerry, rattles! you’re fly now, I see. Come along, Tom! Go it, Jerry!

  1848.  DUNCOMBE, Sinks of London Laid Open, s.v.

  7.  (colloquial).—A sixpence; also a fiddler; cf., FIDDLER’S MONEY.

  8.  (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see MONOSYLLABLE.

  Verb (colloquial).—1.  To trifle, especially with the hands.

  1663.  PEPYS, Diary, 13 July. Where all the ladies walked, talking and FIDDLING with their hats and feathers, and changing and trying one another’s by one another’s heads, and laughing.

  1738.  SWIFT, Polite Conversation, Dial. 2. He took a pipe in his hand, and FIDDLED with it till he broke it.

  1748.  T. DYCHE, A New General English Dictionary (5 ed.). FIDDLE (v.) … also to spend a person’s time about matters of small or no importance.

  1883.  HAWLEY SMART, Hard Lines, ch. iii. That second charger of Mr. Harperley’s is smart, but they’ve had him FIDDLING about so long in the school, he’s most likely forgot how to gallop.

  2.  (thieves’).—To cheat; specifically, to gamble.

  1851–61.  H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, vol. III., p. 140. She is supposed to bring in all the money she has taken, but that we don’t know, and we are generally FIDDLED most tremendous.

  3.  (common).—To earn a livelihood by doing small jobs on the street.—See FIDDLING.

  4.  (American).—To intrigue.

  5.  (common).—To take liberties with a woman; for synonyms, see FIRKYTOODLE.

  6.  (pugilistic).—To strike.

  SCOTCH-FIDDLE, subs. (common).—The itch.

  TO HANG UP THE FIDDLE.—To abandon an undertaking.

  TO PLAY FIRST or SECOND FIDDLE, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To take a leading or a subordinate part. Among tailors SECOND FIDDLE = an unpleasant task.

  1843.  DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. xii., p. 122. To say that Tom had no idea of PLAYING FIRST FIDDLE in any social orchestra but was always quite satisfied to be set down for the hundred and fiftieth violin in the band, or thereabouts, is to express his modesty in very inadequate terms.

  1847.  THACKERAY, Letter, 2 Jan., to W. E. Ayton in Memoirs. If my friend will shout, Titmarsh for ever, hurrah for etc., etc., I may go up with a run to a pretty fair place in my trade, and be allowed to appear before the public as among the FIRST FIDDLES.

  1886.  PAYN, A Grape from a Thorn, ch. xi. She had inherited from her mother an extreme objection to PLAYING, in any orchestra whatsoever, the SECOND FIDDLE.

  FIT AS A FIDDLE, phr. (colloquial).—In good form or condition.

  1886.  PAYN, The Heir of the Ages (Ry. ed. 1888), p. 63. I tell you that nothing ails me—I am ‘FIT AS A FIDDLE.’

  Intj.—See FIDDLE-DE-DEE.