Definition
Touched or played with something restlessly, often without thinking; or cheated/manipulated numbers or facts dishonestly.
Etymology
From Old English 'fitele' (fiddle), possibly from 'fit' (a section of music). The 'dishonest' meaning evolved in the 1700s-1800s, possibly from how con artists fiddle with accounting.
Kelly Says
The phrase 'Nero fiddled while Rome burned' is historically wrong — the fiddle didn't exist in Rome, and scholars debate if Rome was even on fire when Nero ruled, yet this phrase shaped how people imagine him for 2,000 years.
Translations
BNবাংলা
বাজিয়েছে
baajiyeche
DADansk
spillede
SPEE-leh-deh
DEDeutsch
fiedelte
FEE-dehl-teh
ELΕλληνικά
έπαιζε
EH-pah-ee-zeh
HUMagyar
játszott
YAH-tsoht
IDBahasa Indonesia
memainkan
muh-MAIN-kan
IGIG
egwuputara
eh-gwoo-poo-TAH-rah
ITItaliano
suonò
swoh-NOH
MRMR
वाजवले
vaa-jh-VAH-leh
MSBahasa Melayu
bermain
buh-RAH-in
MYမြန်မာ
တီးခတ်ခဲ့
tee-khat-kay
NLNederlands
speelde
SPEHL-deh
PTPortuguês
tocou
too-KOH-oo
RORomână
a cântat
ah KUHN-tat
SVSvenska
spelade
SPEH-lah-deh
SWKiswahili
aliicheza
ah-LEE-cheh-zah
TAதமிழ்
வாசித்தார்
vaa-si-th-thaar
TEతెలుగు
వాయించాడు
vaa-yin-chaa-DU
TLTL
tumugtog
too-MOO-gtog
UKУкраїнська
іграв
ee-GRAH-v