Thursday, September 1, 2011
British Word of the Day
Fiddly: difficult, requiring manual dexterity or geeky know how. "I don't know how he fixed it. He just sort of moved a few of the fiddly bits and somehow it was working again. Then he wanted 120 quid."
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... which is extra funny because YOUR work is so fiddly! Beautiful, and fiddly! A very handy word in 'craft' circles :-)
ReplyDeleteThis isn't just British as its well used in Canada as well :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying seeing your British words! How about 'daft' - for a British word? I don't think you have that in US but I expect you'll hear it a lot in England. I won't tell you what it means because part of the fun is seeing your definitions. Take care :)
ReplyDeleteGood one Alex! I use fiddly a lot, because it is always fiddly trying to fit things in when you are busy! What is the American word you would use instead please?
ReplyDeletePaula, especially the needle books! :-) I now have a new word to describe the process.
ReplyDeleteAlli B, good to know!
Alex, daft is a good substitute for crazy, right? I plan to use it quite a bit. Or perhaps I will hear it used in reference to myself a lot.
What a fun word to say! Americans sing it in folk songs (e.g. Fee-Fi-Fiddly-i-O..), but I have never heard it used in a sentence.
ReplyDeleteI love this! Keep the words and definitions coming!
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying this!!
ReplyDeleteYou poor things not having the word fiddly! How do you describe it when you are doing a really fiddly bit of sewing?!
ReplyDeleteOK, here's another one not to mess up. When I was in London I was talking to someone about this guy and trying to describe him. He's kind of a scruffy, unkempt guy and as I was going into it I used the word "shaggy" . . . not a good word to use there as it was NOT what I meant at all. :P It was the hair . . . THE HAIR!
ReplyDeleteHave been enjoying reading through your archives the past couple of days. I say "fiddly" all the time, and I'm Canadian. I think my whole family uses it. We however would use it in reference to something small or something taking a bit of concentration. i.e. "It's a bit fiddly threading a needle."
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