Fiddle with
Fiddle with verb - To handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously.
Usage example: I could tell that someone had been fiddling with the carefully set controls on my entertainment system
Play and fiddle with are semantically related. in tinker topic. In some cases you can use "Play" instead a verb "Fiddle with".
Play
Play verb - To engage in activity for amusement.
Mutual synonyms
Both terms in one sentence
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As a Fae, he often cares only for his own whims and desires... and he will happily string a fiddle with your guts and make you play it while he dances, should you get in his way.
Source: Beware the Silly Ones - At its best, the story is intuitive and satisfying, and the author is less inclined to play favorites and fiddle with their Author Powers to craft Mary Sues and Deus Ex Machinae where convenient.
Source: I Just Write the Thing
Cite this Source
Play and Fiddle with. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/fiddle_with/play
Fiddle with & Play. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/fiddle_with/play>.
Play or Fiddle with. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/fiddle_with/play.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "fiddle with" and "play" have occurred on timeline