Fiddlesticks
/ˈfɪdəlstɪks/noun
An interjection expressing disbelief, dismissal, annoyance, or the opinion that something is nonsense.
Did you know?“Fiddlesticks!” became a socially acceptable exclamation in the nineteenth century, but its exact leap from musical equipment to “nonsense” remains uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle Ages
Middle English
fidele / fithele
“A bowed string instrument, ancestral in name to the modern fiddle”
14th–15th Century
English
fiddle
“A bowed string instrument; later also the act of playing one”
16th–17th Century
English
fiddle-stick
“A stick associated with a fiddle, especially its bow”
17th–18th Century
English
fiddlestick
“A term for a fiddle bow and, figuratively, something insignificant or worthless”
19th Century
English
fiddlesticks
“A pluralized exclamation used to reject an idea as foolish or nonsensical”
Modern English
English
fiddlesticks
“A mild expression of disbelief, irritation, or dismissal”