n. A musical stringed instrument of the viol class; a violin. See viol, violin, crowd.n. Nautical, a contrivance to prevent things from rolling off the table in bad weather. It is made of small cords passed through wooden bridges and hauled very taut. Same as rack.n. In wool-carding, an implement used in Yorkshire, England, for smoothing the points of card-clothing and dislodging dirt from among the teeth.n. In an orchestra, to take the part of the first (or second) violinplayer.n. Hence— To take a leading (or subordinate) part in any project or undertaking.To play upon the fiddle or violin or some similar instrument.Hence To scrape, as one stretched string upon another.To play (upon), in a figurative sense.To move the hands or other objects over one another or about in an idle or ineffective way.To be busy with trifles; trifle; do something requiring considerable pains and patience without any adequate result.To play on, in a figurative sense.To play (a tune) on a fiddle.n. In ceramics, a rack in which pieces of ware that have been dipped in liquid glaze are placed to drain.n. A piece of wood by which the guy-ropes of a tennis-net are stretched to keep them taut.