Definition of 'diddle'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present
tense diddles
, present participle diddling
, past tense , past participle diddled
1. verb
If someone diddles you, they take money from you dishonestly or unfairly.
[mainly British , informal]
They diddled their insurance company by making a false claim.
2. verb
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
diddler (ˈdiddler) noun
Word origin of 'diddle'
C19: back formation from Jeremy Diddler, a scrounger in J. Kenney's farce Raising the Wind (1803) verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdiddled or ˈdiddling
verb intransitive
3.
to move back and forth jerkily or rapidly
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
diddler1 (ˈdiddler) noun
Informal
verb intransitive
3.
to waste time; dawdle
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
diddler2 (ˈdiddler) noun
Word origin of 'diddle'
? after Jeremy Diddler, character in the play Raising the Wind (1803), by James Kenney: name prob. < dial. duddle, to trick, ult. < OE dyderian, to foolTrends of 'diddle'
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Definition of diddle from the
Collins English Dictionary
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