Dictionary entry details
• FIDDLE (noun)
Meaning:
Bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
fiddle; violin
Hypernyms ("fiddle" is a kind of...):
bowed stringed instrument; string (stringed instruments that are played with a bow)
Meronyms (parts of "fiddle"):
chin rest (a rest on which a violinist can place the chin)
fiddlestick; violin bow (a bow used in playing the violin)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fiddle"):
Amati (a violin made by Nicolo Amati or a member of his family)
Guarnerius (a violin made by a member of the Guarneri family)
Strad; Stradavarius (a violin made by Antonio Stradivari or a member of his family)
• FIDDLE (verb)
Meaning:
Avoid (one's assigned duties)
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
fiddle; shirk; shrink from; goldbrick
Context example:
The derelict soldier shirked his duties
Hypernyms (to "fiddle" is one way to...):
avoid (refrain from doing something)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fiddle"):
scrimshank (British military language: avoid work)
malinger; skulk (avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill)
slack (avoid responsibilities and work, be idle)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Commit fraud and steal from one's employer
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Context example:
We found out that she had been fiddling for years
Hypernyms (to "fiddle" is one way to...):
defalcate; embezzle; malversate; misappropriate; peculate (appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
Play the violin or fiddle
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Hypernyms (to "fiddle" is one way to...):
play (perform music on (a musical instrument))
Domain category:
music (musical activity (singing or whistling etc.))
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
Play on a violin
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Context example:
Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely
Hypernyms (to "fiddle" is one way to...):
play; spiel (replay (as a melody))
Domain category:
music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
diddle; toy; fiddle; play
Context examples:
She played nervously with her wedding ring / Don't fiddle with the screws / He played with the idea of running for the Senate
Hypernyms (to "fiddle" is one way to...):
manipulate (hold something in one's hands and move it)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fiddle"):
put out; retire (cause to be out on a fielding play)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
tamper; monkey; fiddle
Context examples:
Someone tampered with the documents on my desk / The reporter fiddle with the facts
Hypernyms (to "fiddle" is one way to...):
manipulate (hold something in one's hands and move it)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Try to fix or mend
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
tinker; fiddle
Context examples:
Can you tinker with the T.V. set--it's not working right / She always fiddles with her van on the weekend
Hypernyms (to "fiddle" is one way to...):
bushel; doctor; fix; furbish up; mend; repair; restore; touch on (restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
