{"id":3583,"date":"2022-05-23T20:24:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T20:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3583"},"modified":"2022-05-23T20:24:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T20:24:39","slug":"fit-as-a-fiddle-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/fit-as-a-fiddle-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Fit As a Fiddle \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to tell someone you\u2019re feeling strong, fit, and healthy? Tell them you feel in great shape by saying \u201c<em>fit as a fiddle.\u201d<\/em> This post unpacks this expression's meaning and origin.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>fit as a fiddle<\/em>\u201d means you are at the peak of physical fitness when referring to people or yourself. It can also refer to inanimate systems or objects. For instance, you could say your business is \u201c<em>as fit as a fiddle<\/em>\u201d if it's doing well financially.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s more common for people to use the expression to describe other people or themselves. It\u2019s a way of saying that you\u2019re in great shape and feel a strong sense of well-being. You can also use the phrase when referring to other people's state of physical fitness.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use the saying as a way to describe peak performance at work or general feelings of well-being not related to fitness.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI just broke my 5-mile time this morning. That\u2019s a goal I\u2019ve been wanting to reach for months. I feel fit as a fiddle right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook at Kirsty do her floor routine. She\u2019s in full control over her body, and she looks fit as a fiddle right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoss, this month was a great way to wrap up a fantastic quarter. Profits are up, and the cash flow statement and balance sheet are looking fit as a fiddle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou must feel as fit as a fiddle, you\u2019ve lost ten pounds in the last two months, and you\u2019re going to the gym almost every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019m in great shape at the moment. I\u2019m far from feeling as fit as a fiddle after sitting out for months due to injury.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGoing for a run each day will eventually make you fit as a fiddle; it\u2019s about building consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3584\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Fit-as-a-Fiddle.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"173\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3585\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Fit-as-a-Fiddle2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"137\" height=\"186\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The origin of the expression \"fit as a fiddle\" comes from the slang name for the violin. At the introduction of the term in the early 1600s, the word \"fit\" described someone \"suitable\" for a task, not necessarily someone with physical fitness.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Dekker was the first author to use the expression in print. His work, \"The Batchelars Banquet,\" published in 1603 has an early rendition of the saying, where it reads as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"Then comes downe mistresse Nurse as fine as a farthing fiddle, in her petticoate and kertle.\"<\/p>\n<p>A little over a decade later, the full version of the phrase would appear in less archaic language. W. Haughton's \"There's English-men for my Money\" shows the phrase as the following.<\/p>\n<p>\"This is excellent ynfayth [in faith], as fit as a fiddle.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fit as a Fiddle Idiom Meaning - English Expression Videos\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AftcjsXfpvI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Fit as a Fiddle<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.<\/li>\n<li>Full of beans.<\/li>\n<li>Tuned-up.<\/li>\n<li>In good form.<\/li>\n<li>Fighting fit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Fit as a Fiddle<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>I feel like death.<\/li>\n<li>Ill-timed.<\/li>\n<li>Foot in mouth.<\/li>\n<li>Off-color.<\/li>\n<li>At deaths door.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Fit as a fiddle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Fit as a Fiddle Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The saying has nothing to do with a \u201cfiddle\u201d in modern use. Using the expression to comment on someone\u2019s musical performance would be incorrect. The fiddle, in this case, is a descriptive word for optimization or near perfection.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Fit as a Fiddle<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression \u201cfit as a fiddle\u201d when telling someone how you feel strong, healthy, and fit or when commenting on someone else\u2019s state of physical fitness. The saying can also apply to mental health and animals, such as your pet, or artificial systems, like a CRM or an AI program. It\u2019s a useful saying to describe anything that is performing at optimal levels and suits professional and social use.<\/p>\n<p>You could use it at work to describe how the books and economic health of the company are at all-time highs. Or you could use it at home to tell your partner that your daily training schedule is beginning to pay dividends in your fitness and health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to tell someone you\u2019re feeling strong, fit, and healthy? Tell them you feel in great shape by saying \u201cfit as a fiddle.\u201d This post unpacks this expression's meaning and origin. Meaning The expression \u201cfit as a fiddle\u201d means you are at the peak of physical fitness when referring to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3583"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3860,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583\/revisions\/3860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}