Fiddling

Pronunciation varies by accent · verb

Meaning

present participle and gerund of fiddle.

Definitions by Sense

1. present participle and gerund of fiddle
2. The playing of music on a fiddle.
3. The act of fidgeting.
4. Tweaking; manipulation.
5. Of petty or trivial importance; footling

Example Sentences

He was fiddling while Rome burned.

[W]e, her doctors […] seemed powerless to prevent [side-effects], despite all our reassurances, and all our fiddlings and manipulations with the dosage[…]

Was it deliberate that the first week of October 1961 was chosen to conduct a national survey of passenger usage? Why October of all months, when the holiday season was over and families back at work and at school? Was this a fiddling of the figures to make an unfair case against rail-dependent resorts such as those in the West Country, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire, where previously overloaded summer services would now only have a handful of locals on board?

It was a fiddling little fault, but ultimately proved disastrous.

Synonyms for fiddling

Antonyms for fiddling

Related Words

Word Forms

• fiddlings

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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