To Play on a Fiddle Idiom Meaning, Synonyms, Examples

“To play on a fiddle” idiom meaning can vary with the context. The phrase refers to a person influencing or manipulating others for their own benefit. It involves acting dishonestly to get something for themselves or changing something dishonestly, especially to their advantage. For example, he played her like a fiddle to get all her money.

A variation of this idiom is “to play a second fiddle”, which means being in a subordinate (lower or second) position to someone else. For example, “he always plays second fiddle to his boss and never speaks his mind”. 

Both these idioms find their origin in the orchestra, where the violinists keep the audience entranced with their performance. The first violinist who played the melody was regarded as the lead, while the playing after them was the second fiddle, hence giving rise to the phrase “playing the second fiddle”.

Usage With Examples

Here’s how to use the idiom “to play on a fiddle” and “playing the second fiddle” in a sentence correctly:

1. The politician played people on a fiddle with the election results and claimed victory.
2. She was tired of being played by her husband on a fiddle and decided to file for divorce.
3. He played her like a fiddle and made her fall in love with him, only to break her heart later.
4. She didn’t want to play the second fiddle in the band and wanted to be the lead singer instead.
5. He was caught playing everyone on a fiddle with the tax returns and was sent to jail.

Also Read: 500+ Most Commonly Used Idioms in English

To Play on a Fiddle: Synonyms and Similar Words

Here’s a list of some words that have meaning similar to the idiom “to play on a fiddle”:

1. Cheat
2. Swindle
3. To be subordinate or inferior to someone
4. Manipulate
5. Deceive

Also Read: Backhanded Compliment Meaning, Synonyms, Examples

To Play on a Fiddle Idiom Meaning Quiz

Choose the correct option to complete the sentence using the idiom “to play on a fiddle”.

She was so good at _________ that he never realized she was cheating on him.

A) playing him like a fiddle

B) tuning him like a fiddle

C) strumming him like a fiddle

D) plucking him like a fiddle

The correct answer is A) playing him like a fiddle. 

We hope this blog helped you understand the “to play on a fiddle” idiom meaning, its usage in sentences, and words and phrases having meaning similar to it. Stay tuned to Leverage Edu to discover more idioms like these every day.