WordWeb Online

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

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

See also: flirt with, unimportant

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

Encyclopedia: Fiddling