Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to make one’s living taking small jobs on the street, e.g. unloading a cart.

1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.

2. to cheat, to swindle [prior use from 17C is SE].

1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 130/2: We are generally fiddled most tremendous.
1868		‘I Am A Downy Bird’ My Young Wife and I Songster 43: Now to be sold or ‘fiddled’ / This covey knows too much.
1887		W.E. Henley ‘Villon’s Straight Tip’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 176: Fiddle, or fence, or mace, or mack; / Or moskeneer, or flash the drag.
1890		‘’Arry on Equality’ Punch 22 Feb. 85/2: Normans nicked? Landlords copped? Lawyers fiddled? Quite likely.
1894		A. Morrison Tales of Mean Streets (1983) 139: They couldn’t ’ave me, not for a single farden—not a farden, try an’ fiddle as they would.
1926		Advertiser (Adelaide) 16 June 16/1: A certain bookmaker used to call on them and ask for money ‘to fiddle these blokes up’.
1934		P. Allingham Cheapjack 210: The tick-off is a fiddling game.
1946		S. Jackson Indiscreet Guide to Soho 115: Men who will [...] ‘fiddle’ anything from sets of surgical instruments to books of clothing coupons.
1959		W. Hall Long and the Short and the Tall Act II: Nothing to choose between you – except Bammo fiddles it to suit himself.
1966		B. Reckord Skyvers III iii: You go after the big things you know about, like rock ’n roll and football; even fiddlin’.
1975		Sun. Times Mag. 12 Oct. 25: Others are ripping off the tax and fiddling their expenses.
1984		‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 23: Plenty of people these days fiddled the rules; they had to, to survive.
1999		C. Dexter Remorseful Day (2000) 290: Could he have fiddled a few quid here and there?
2000		Indep. 23 Feb. 8: Labour was becoming associated with ‘fix and fiddle’ in the same way that the Tories had been linked to sleaze.
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 80: [S]stooshies over office rents and fiddled taxi claims.

3. to drug liquor.

1899

C. Rook Hooligan Nights 62: One of ’em [i.e. glasses of wine] ’e tasted ’imself, so’s to show me it wasn’t fiddled.

4. (UK tramp) to beg.

1937

J. Worby Other Half 277: Fiddle, to go about begging from different people.

5. to cheat on one’s expenses.

1945		‘Henry Green’ Loving (1978) 191: Fiddlin’ ’er monthly books. No. You know that’s serious this is.
1966		C. Wood Fill the Stage With Happy Hours (1967) Act VII: A bob or two a week is all he can fiddle on that fiddle diddle.

6. to work as a petty thief.

1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 4: Fiddle: steal.
1962		R. Hauser Homosexual Society 158: The one who ‘fiddles’ tools from the factory or who ‘wangles’ an income tax return.
1966		P. Willmott Adolescent Boys of East London (1969) 147: Stealing from or defrauding one’s employer – often dignified by being described as ‘knocking off’ or ‘fiddling’.