subs. (colloquial).—Twaddling; trifling; ‘little nothings’; ROT (q.v.). Fr., oui, les lanciers!
1593. G. HARVEY, Pierce’s Supererogation, in wks. II., 97. Or who of iudgment, will not cry? away with these paultringe FIDLE-FADLES.
1687. Political Ballads (ed. Wilkins, 1860), vol. I., p. 139.
| After much FIDDLE-FADDLE | |
| The egg proved addle. |
1712. Spectator, No. 299. Their mother tells them … that her mother danced in a ball at Court with the Duke of Monmouth; with abundance of FIDDLE-FADDLE of the same nature.
1876. C. H. WALL, trans. Molière, vol. i., p. 157. I see nothing about here but white of eggs, milk of roses, and a thousand FIDDLE-FADDLES that I know nothing about.
Adj. Trifling; fussing; ‘fluffing.’
1712. ARBUTHNOT, The History of John Bull, pt. III., ch. viii. She was a troublesome, FIDDLE-FADDLE old woman, and so ceremonious that there was no bearing of her.
18[?]. THACKERAY, Character Sketches (Fashionable Authoress). She interlards her works with fearful quotations from the French, FIDDLE-FADDLE extracts from Italian operas, German phrases, fiercely mutilated, and a scrap or two of bad Spanish.
Verb. To toy; to trifle; to talk nonsense; to gossip; to make ‘much cry and little wool.’
1761. DR. HAWKSWORTH, Edgar and Emmeline, I., ii. Here have I had a young, tempting girl FIDDLE-FADDLING about me these two hours to dress me.
1873. BROUGHTON, Nancy, ch. xxxvii. I am idly FIDDLE-FADDLING with a piece of work.
Also FIDDLE-FADDLER, one inclined to FIDDLE-FADDLES.
