fiddling

(verb) avoid (one's assigned duties). Synonyms: fiddle, shirk, shrink from, goldbrick. Examples: "The derelict soldier shirked his duties."

(verb) commit fraud and steal from one's employer. Synonyms: fiddle. Examples: "We found out that she had been fiddling for years."

(verb) play the violin or fiddle. Synonyms: fiddle.

(verb) play on a violin. Synonyms: fiddle. Examples: "Zuckerman fiddled that song very nicely."

(verb) manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination. Synonyms: toy, fiddle, diddle, play. Examples: "She played nervously with her wedding ring." "Don't fiddle with the screws." "He played with the idea of running for the senate."

(verb) play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly. Synonyms: tamper, fiddle, monkey. Examples: "Someone tampered with the documents on my desk." "The reporter fiddle with the facts."

(verb) try to fix or mend. Synonyms: tinker, fiddle. Examples: "Can you tinker with the t.v. set--it's not working right." "She always fiddles with her van on the weekend."

(adj) (informal) small and of little importance. Synonyms: footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, piddling, piffling, petty, picayune, trivial. Examples: "A fiddling sum of money." "A footling gesture." "Our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war." "A little (or small) matter." "A dispute over niggling details." "Limited to petty enterprises." "Piffling efforts." "Giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction."