What does fiddle mean?
Word: Fiddle
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Fiddle means a violin, especially when it is played for folk or dance music. As a verb, to fiddle is to keep touching or playing with something with your fingers.
Synonyms: violin, fidget
How do you spell fiddle?
Syllables: fid - dle
Tricky part: The word ends in le, not el or al.
Watch out for: fiddel, fiddal
Memory tip: Picture the bow sliding along the strings in one long stroke, like the tall l, then lifting off with a little e.
Idioms and Phrases
- fit as a fiddle: Very healthy and strong. Example: "After a week of rest, Grandma was fit as a fiddle again."
- play second fiddle: To have a less important role than someone else. Example: "In the school play he was tired of playing second fiddle to his older brother."
Fiddle in a sentence
Example 1: At a folk concert in Dublin, a man played a lively tune on his fiddle.
Example 2: She kept fiddling with her scarf while waiting for the results.
Example 3: Grandpa spent the whole afternoon fiddling with the old radio until it worked.
Fun Fact
A fiddle and a violin can be exactly the same instrument. People usually say fiddle when it is used for folk, country or dance music, and violin when it plays classical music.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) fiddle
b) throtle
c) muzzel
d) chissel
Show answer
a) fiddle. Muzzle ends in le, chisel has one s and throttle has a double t.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
fiddle
a) avoid
b) tinker
c) ignore
d) guard
Show answer
b) tinker. To fiddle with something is to keep touching and adjusting it, which is what tinker means.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
diledf
a) field
b) fiddle
c) riddle
d) fiddler
Show answer
b) fiddle. Riddle has an r, field has a single d and fiddler is a letter longer.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Grandpa took his old fidle down from the shelf and played a folk tune for us.
a) fidle
b) shelf
c) Grandpa
d) tune
Show answer
a) fidle. The d is doubled after the short i.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Kiran kept fiddling with the zip of her bag all through the long speech. She was most likely ____.
a) eating her lunch
b) restless and bored
c) singing along
d) fast asleep
Show answer
b) restless and bored
2. A fiddler at a village fair is most likely ____.
a) a cook selling hot snacks
b) a musician with a bow and strings
c) a juggler with coloured balls
d) a painter drawing faces
Show answer
b) a musician with a bow and strings
