Etymology Journal ยท O
Oh, fiddlesticks!
Meaning
- A G-rated way to vent frustration when you drop something or make a mistake. It is the classic alternative to swearing when kids are within earshot.
Whimsical, polite
Used in a sentence
- Oh, fiddlesticks, I forgot to buy milk at the store.
- Fiddlesticks, my shoelace just broke again.
- Oh, fiddlesticks, I missed the bus by a minute.
The backstory
A fiddlestick was an actual tool used for playing a fiddle, but by the 1700s, the term was used to describe nonsense. It eventually became a stand-in for mild frustration.
Heard in
Nationwide
Vibe check