Plural of fiddle; multiple violins or fiddle-shaped instruments, or third-person singular verb form meaning to tinker or adjust something repeatedly.
From Old English 'fithele,' related to Old High German 'fidula.' The word has meant both the instrument and the act of tinkering since medieval times.
The same word describes both a musical instrument and the act of wasting time—showing how cultures understood that these activities shared something: repetitive finger movements without clear purpose.
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