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# fiddlesticks

exclamation (fiddlesticks!); noun (old: fiddlestick, fiddlesticks)

«fiddlesticks» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (mild, old-fashioned) a gentle exclamation of annoyance, used instead of a swear word: «Oh, fiddlesticks!» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#m1)
2. (old-fashioned) nonsense: «Fiddlesticks! That's not true.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#m2)
3. (literal, rare) the bow used to play a fiddle (violin). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#m3)

### In the lessons

A very mild, quaint, often funny stand-in for swearing, used by grandparents, cartoon characters and people who don't want to swear in front of children. Old-fashioned, humorous, UK and US.

### Examples

- Oh, fiddlesticks, I've dropped my glasses again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x1)
- "Fiddlesticks!" cried Granny when the cake sank. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x2)
- Fiddlesticks, it's raining and I forgot my brolly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x3)
- "You're too old to climb trees." "Fiddlesticks!" said Grandad. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x4)
- The cartoon mouse squeaked, "Fiddlesticks!" [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x5)
- Miss Brown says "fiddlesticks" instead of swearing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x6)
- Fiddlesticks! I've missed the bus. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x7)
- "Fiddlesticks" sounds so silly that everyone laughed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/#x8)

### Note

Trap: it is not rude at all; it sounds funny and old. It can mean «nonsense» when someone disagrees. Plain words: «oh no», «damn», «rubbish».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «fiddlesticks» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fiddlesticks/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«fiddlesticks» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/fiddlesticks.html) on Mova free.