fiddlesticks en · INTJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈfɪdl̩.stɪks/ (UK)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Circa 1600, England. From fiddlestick, from the late Middle English fidillstyk (“violin bow”).
Meanings
-
(euphemistic) Nonsense! Expresses dismissal or disdain.
"Taken the veil—taken fiddlesticks!" said the old man, merrily; "why she lives near Lincoln, is married to a substantial man, the junior partner of one of the wealthiest bankers in the county […]
1840, Henry Downes Miles, Dick Turpin:'Safe? Fiddlesticks! There is no safe. Mr Lavington is an intelligent man. You will see, he will have devised a hiding-place much more intelligent than a safe. A safe is the first thing everyone looks for.'
1923 October 6, Agatha Christie, “The Case of the Veiled Lady”, in The Sketch, number 1601:“Fiddlesticks,” Miss Jenny said. “The war just gave John a good excuse to get himself killed. If it hadn’t been that, it would have been some other way that would have been a bother to everybody around.”
1964 [1929], William Faulkner, Sartoris (The Collected Works of William Faulkner), London: Chatto & Windus, page 23:Golden pleasures! golden fiddlesticks!—What d'ye tell me of your canting stuff?
1701, George Farquhar, Sir Harry Wildair, act 4, scene 2; republished in The Dramatic Works of George Farquhar, volume 1, London: John C. Nimmo, 1892, page 295:Fiddlesticks! It's nothing but smoke and mirrors!
-
(euphemistic, qualifier:now sometimes specifically interpreted as a euphemism for 'fuck') Darn! Expresses mild dismay or annoyance.
Oh, fiddlesticks! I locked my keys in the car.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| fiddlestick | alternative, dated | lexicographic |
Synonyms
dammit (expresses annoyance) · bullshit (expresses dismissal)
Translations (21)
pa ਫ਼ਿੱਟੇ ਮੂੰਹ (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pa ਦੁੱਰ ਫ਼ਿੱਟੇ ਮੂੰਹ (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · ru ёлки-палки (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · fr des clous (Expression of disbelief or disdain) · pt apre (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pt disparate! (Expression of disbelief or disdain) · es jolines (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pa فِٹّے مُونھ (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · es ostras (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · nl flauwekul (Expression of disbelief or disdain) · fr zut (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pa ਫ਼ਿੱਟੇ ਮੂੰਹ ਤੇਰਾ (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pt fosca-se (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · fr saperlipopette (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pt bolas (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pa دُرّ فِٹّے مُونھ (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pa فِٹّے مُونھ تیرا (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · es jolín (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pt ai (expression of mild dismay or annoyance) · pt histórias! (Expression of disbelief or disdain) · fr flute (expression of mild dismay or annoyance)