feddle

English

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

Eye dialect spelling descended from Middle English ffedle, fedele, fethil, fethele, variants of Middle English fithele, from Old English fiþele (“fiddle, viol, violin”). More at English fiddle.

Noun

feddle (plural feddles)

1. (obsolete) Fiddle (musical instrument).
   • 1816, Thomas Love Peacock, Headlong Hall, →ISBN:

     Is there ony soond mair meeserable an' peetifu' than the scrape o' a feddle, when it does na touch ony chord i' the human sensorium?

   • 1854, Grace Greenwood, The Little Pilgrim - Volumes 1-3, page 27:

     I'll go immadiately an' buy Dermot's ould feddle.

   • 1899, Jon Templeton, The Romance of Robert Burns:

     “Aye, aye!” they all cry out. “Yer feddle, Tam, yer feddle!” (Tam gets it and comes down.)

2. Misspelling of fettle.
   • 1999 August 5, Mimi Weasel, “Proper Punishment for Linda Tripp”, in alt.politics.clinton (Usenet):

     Well, whoever that OTHER person was, it appears that the REAL Xona is back and in fine feddle.

   • 2006 November 20, Nyssa, “I'm going to miss Kevin and Kelly”, in alt.tv.one-life-to-live (Usenet):

     I'd rather see him once or twice a month while he gets his strength back, then he'll be more able to come back in fine feddle and kick some butt in style.

   • 2014, Admiral Pat Arnold, Omar Khayyam and Etta James: Mooning Santa Barbara and Gertrude Tennyson, Your Protruding Colossal Bush Has Really Got Me Going!, →ISBN:

     I'm in my fine feddle — as one of my masters, Mr. Henry Val Miller would surely shout, "Well, fuck a duck!"

Verb

feddle (third-person singular simple present feddles, present participle feddling, simple past and past participle feddled)

1. (obsolete) To fiddle (play the fiddle).
   • 1581, Barnaby Riche, Eight Novels Employed by English Dramatic Poets of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth.:

     And my good companions and fellowe souldiours, if you will followe myne advise, laie aside your weapons, hang up your armours by the walles, and learne an other while (for your better advauncements) to pipe, to feddle, to synge, to daunce, to lye, to forge, to flatter, to cary tales, to set ruffe, or do any thyng that your appetites beste serve unto, and that is better fittyng for the tyme.

   • 1882, George Dallas Albert, History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania:

     In a Presbyterian Church where a bass viol had been smuggled or foisted into the choir, the old dominie startled the worshipers by calling upon them to "feddle and sing" the psalm.

Adjective

feddle (not comparable)

1. (slang, regional) Federal.
   • 1985, Roy Blount, What Men Don't Tell Women, page 78:

     Uhmm, I don't know. Uhmm'but it looks like the feddle gummunt running ever'thing.

   • 2010, Michael Graham, That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom, →ISBN:

     If you're not working for the feddle gummint either directly (Assistant to Administrative Assistant Grade 3(a) in the U.S. Department of Administrative Assistance) or indirectly (lobbying, lawyering, feeding the beast, or living on bailout subsidies) you are a loser chump.

   • 2011, J. L. Bryan, Tommy Nightmare, →ISBN:

     You'll run across a few who don't really carefor the 'feddle guvment' poking around.

Etymology 2

Noun

feddle (plural feddles)

1. (obsolete) A wanton; A spoiled person.
   • 1822, The Gentleman's Magazine - Volume 92, Part 2; Volume 132, page 616:

     Sherwood defines CockNEY, by this word, niais, and mignot, cailnette, the former being, in Cotgrave, “a wanton, feddle, favourite, a dolling, dandling, darling,” and the latter, “foole, ninny, noddy, natural.”

   • 1919, James Hamilton Wylie, William Templeton Waugh, The Reign of Henry the Fifth: 1415-1416, page 203:

     Chartier condemns the recreant scarceness of the laggard feddles who lowered their lineage, flung away their honour and like a quaking flock of sheep fled when they should have struck ;

   • 2010, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet, →ISBN:

     Capulet regrets that Juliet has been “fedled” (“pampered,” RC, s.v. “Cadelé”) and as a result has become a “feddle” (“A wanton,” RC, s.v. “Mignot).

Verb

feddle (third-person singular simple present feddles, present participle feddling, simple past and past participle feddled)

1. To fuss over.
   • 1982, Bulletin with Newsweek - Volume 102, page 55:

     Now here it was 12.20 and he had another 15,000 envelopes to feddle before he knocked off. If he feddled well, conscientiously, Gremm would apply a heavy, gluey mixture to the flap of each envelope, then allow it to dry.

   • 1986, Gerald J. Butler, This Is Carbon:

     As Mellors writes to Connie at the end of Lady Chatterley's Lover, a man has to fend and feddle for the best, and then trust in something beyond himself.

2. (regional) To fiddle or fidget.
   • 1968, Oklahoma State Engineer, page 102:

     For example, a pipe smoker who spends all the time lighting matches and feddling with his pipe, is very distracting in an interview situation.