WordWeb Online

1. (informal) small and of little importance
   "a fiddling sum of money";
   - footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, piddling, piffling, petty, picayune [N. Amer], trivial, piddly

1. Avoid (one's assigned duties)
   "The derelict soldier fiddled his duties";
   - shirk, shrink from, goldbrick [N. Amer]
    
2. Commit fraud and steal from one's employer
   "We found out that she had been fiddling for years"
    
3. (music) play the violin or fiddle
   "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely"
    
4. Manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
   "Don't fiddle with the screws";
   - toy, diddle, play
    
5. Play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly
   "the reporter fiddled with the facts";
   - tamper, monkey
    
6. Try to fix or mend
   "She always fiddles with her van on the weekend";
   - tinker

See also: unimportant

Type of: avoid, bushel [US], defalcate, doctor, embezzle, fix, furbish up, malversate, manipulate, mend, misappropriate, peculate, play, repair, restore, spiel, touch on

Encyclopedia: Fiddling