Améliorez votre anglais avec notre expression idiomatique de la semaine! #groupetude

Anyone musical out there? Today’s expression is: fit as a fiddle!

So why? Where does it come from?

The word « fit » refers to being in good condition, that is, the fiddle (violin) must be suitable, or fit for purpose. 1 The phrase did not always look exactly like this, in the past, a person could also say: as fine as a fiddle, for example. Indeed, Thomas Dekker (The Batchelars Banquet, 1603) and W. Haughton’s (English-men for my Money, 1616) qualified a lady as fine as a fiddle and fit as a fiddle in their respective works.2

So, to be as fit as a fiddle now means simply to be in good physical shape!

Here are some examples:

  • My dad is getting on in years (getting old) but he’s still fit as a fiddle.
  • Wow, is she going to run the Boston marathon? Oh yeah, she’s fit as a fiddle!
  • When I finish this exercise regimen, I’ll be fit as a fiddle!

Got any questions? Let me know in the comments!


1,2; Accessed 16/04/2021.; Accessed 16/04/2021.; Accessed 16/04/2021.

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