fit as a fiddle
Meaning: in excellent physical condition; healthy.
Language: English
Literally: fit as a fiddle
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: The alliteration is doing much of the work, but the older meanings make far better sense of the phrase than the modern ones do. When it was formed, "fit" did not mean physically healthy — that sense only became common in the 1800s — but apt, suitable, well-made for its purpose. An earlier version ran "fine as a fiddle," recorded around 1603, with "fit as a fiddle" appearing by 1616. A fiddle was a reasonable standard of excellence to invoke: a well-made instrument, properly strung and in tune, was a precise and admired object, while one out of tune was conspicuously useless. As "fit" drifted toward its modern sense of bodily health, the idiom drifted along with it, and now reads as a claim about physical condition that it did not originally make.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- keep your chin up — to remain optimistic; to stay courageous during difficulty.
- pitter-patter of little feet — the sound of children running; anticipation of having babies.
- be in someone's shoes — to understand someone's perspective; to experience their situation.
- white as a sheet — extremely pale; shocked or frightened.
- sharp as a tack — intelligent; quick-witted; keen-minded.
- pull someone's leg — To joke or tease someone by telling them something untrue.
More English idioms
- no love lost — mutual dislike; bad relations between people.
- take the plunge — to commit to something risky; to make a decisive move.
- a nose for something — a talent for finding or recognizing something; keen instinct.
- throw in the towel — to give up; to concede defeat.
- the real McCoy — the genuine article; something authentic and high quality.
- cry over spilled milk — to regret something past; useless to grieve over unchangeable events.
From our compliments & insults
- Cabeça de alho chocho — A forgetful scatterbrain whose thoughts won't stay put.
- Tu es mon rayon de soleil — A warm way to tell someone they brighten your day.
- Joli comme un cœur — Utterly charming or adorable.