Something that requires careful attention to small details and is annoying or difficult to do with your hands.
From 'fiddle' (to tinker or adjust) plus the suffix '-y' (meaning having the quality of). 'Fiddle' comes from Old English 'fitela,' originally referring to a stringed instrument, then extended to mean fussing with small adjustments.
The word 'fiddly' shows how a musical instrument name became slang for any annoying, detailed task—like how 'playing' something eventually meant 'fooling around' with it. Languages constantly recycle words from one context to another.
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