fidge 
II. trans. To cause to fidget. [Scotch.] 
i claw your lujr, and //</</'' your back. 
Burns, Prayer to the Scotch Representatives. 
fidget (fij'et), v. [< fidge + dim. -et, which has 
here a freq. force : see fidge.} I. intrcms. To 
move uneasily one way and the other; move 
irregularly, or in fits and starts; be restless 
or uneasy ; show impatience or uneasiness by 
restless movements. 
II. trans. To make restless, nervous, or fid- 
gety. 
" I think you would fidget me," she remarked. 
Scribner's May., III. 677. 
fidget (fij'et), re. [(.fidget, v.] The expression 
of uneasiness, restlessness, impatience, etc., by 
irregular spasmodic movements and changes of 
physical expression; the condition of feeling 
thus expressed : commonly in the plural : as, to 
be in & fidget or the fidgets; to have the fidgets. 
But sedentary weavers of long tales 
Give me the fidgets, and my patience fails. 
Cowper, Conversation, 1. 208. 
fidgetily (fij'et-i-li), adv. In a fidgety or rest- 
less manner. 
Gillian fidgetily watches her. 
R. Broughton, Second Thoughts, ii. 3. 
fidgetiness (fij'et-i-nes), re. [< fidgety + -ness.'] 
The state or quality of being fidgety. 
His manner was a strange mixture of fidgetiness, imperi- 
ousness, and tenderness. G. H, Lewes. 
Fidgetiness of fingers shows a great amount of separate 
action of small nerve-centres, or the centres for small parts. 
F. Warner, Physical Expression, p. 262. 
fidgety (fij'et-i), a. [< fidget + -yl.] Of the 
nature of or expressive of a fidget ; being in a 
fidget; moving about uneasily; restless; ner- 
vously impatient. 
There she sat, frightened and fidgety. 
T. Hook, Gilbert Gurney. 
We have our periodical fits of fidgety doubts and fears, 
and society is alarmed by ideas of ruin and disruption, as 
agitators come out with threats or prophecies of evil. 
JV. A. Rev., CXXXIX. 101. 
fidging-fain (fij'ing-fan), a. [Sc., also fidgin- 
fain; < fidging, ppr. of fidge, v., + fain, glad.] 
Kestless with delight. 
Maggy, quoth he, and by my bags, 
I'm fidyiiuj-.fain to see you. 
Maggy Lander (Ritson's Scottish Songs). 
Wha will crack [chat] to me my lane ? 
Wha will mak' me fidgin' fain ! 
Burns, The Rantin' Dog, the Daddie o't. 
fid-hole (fid'hol), n. The square hole in the 
heel of a topmast or topgallautmast into which 
the fid is inserted. 
Fidia (fid'i-a), n. [NL. (Baly, 1863). A non- 
sense-name.] 1. A genus of ChrysomelMte or 
leaf-beetles. The prothorax is cy- 
lindrical, not margined at the sides; 
there are distinct postocular lobes ; 
the prosternal sutures are obsolete ; 
and the femora are not toothed. A few 
species inhabit North America. F. 
viticida (Walsh) is about 6 millime- 
ters long, chestnut-brown, and dense- 
ly covered with short whitish hair ; 
It is very injurious to grape-vines, 
upon the foliage of which it feeds. 
2. [I. c.] A member of this 
genus. 
fidicent, ". [L., < fides, a lute, 
lyre, cithern, + eanere, sing, play.] InoW music, 
a performer on the lute, lyre, or harp. 
Fidonia (fi-do'ni-a), . [NL., irreg. < Gr. < 
sparing, thrifty, < ^uSeaBai, be sparing, spare ; 
cf . <t>eiduvio<;, with a narrow neck, </>ei6uv, an oil- 
can with a narrow neck.] A genus of geomet- 
rid moths. F. piniaria, the bordered white moth, is a 
beautiful insect, having its wings on the upper side of a 
shows natural size.} 
Male and Female of Fidonia faxoni, natural size. 
dusky -brown color, and adorned with numerous pale-yel- 
low spots. The caterpillar feeds on the Scotch fir. /'. 
faxoni is a common New England species, extending west 
to Missouri, having ochery-brown fore wings and lighter 
hind wings. 
fiducial (fi-du'shal), a. [= Pg. fiducial = It. 
fidwciale, < ML. fiducialis, < L. fiducia, trust, 
confidence, a thing held in trust, reliance, a 
pledge, deposit, pawn, mortgage, (.fidere, trust: 
see faith.'] If. Trusting ; confident ; undoubt- 
ing; firm. 
Such a fiducial persuasion as cannot deceive us. 
Bp. Hall, Remains, p. 268. 
Faith is cordial, and such as God will accept of, when 
it affords fiducial reliance on the promises, and obedien- 
tial submission to the commandments. Hammond. 
2. Same us fiduciary, 2. 3. In physics, having 
a fixed position or character, and hence used 
as a basis of reference or comparison. 
It (the knee-piece in an electrometer] also carries & fidu- 
cial mark running opposite a graduation on one edge of 
the groove, by means of which whole turns of the screw 
are read off, fractions being estimated by means of a drum 
head. Encyc. Brit., VIII. 120. 
In half an hour there was an evident commencement of 
whitening from the fiducial yellow ray to the mean red. 
Ure, Diet., III. 110. 
Fiducial edge of a ruler, the thin or feather edge. OH- 
lespie. 
fiducially (fi-du'shal-i), adv. With confidence. 
Faith causes the soul fiducially and strongly to rely and 
cast itself upon God in prayer. South, Works, IX. x. 
fiduciary (fi-du'shi-a-ri), a. and n. [= F. fidu- 
ciaire = Pg. It. fidueiario, < L. fiduciarius, of or 
relating to a thing held in trust (ML. also as 
a noun), < fiducia, trust, a thing held in trust: 
see fiducial.] I. a. If. Confident; steady; un- 
doubting; unwavering; firm. 
Elaiana can rely no where upon mere love and fiduciary 
obedience, unless at her own home, where she is exem- 
plarily loyal to herself in a high exact obedience. Howell. 
That faith which is required of us is then perfect when 
it produces in us a fiduciary assent to whatever the gos- 
pel has revealed. ' Abp. Wake, Prep, for Death. 
2. Having the nature of a trust, especially a 
financial trust ; pertaining to a pecuniary trust 
or trustee : as, a fiduciary power. Also fiducial. 
Augustus, for particular reasons, first began to author- 
ize the fiduciary bequest, which in the Roman law was 
called fidei commissum. 
Montesquieu, Spirit of Laws (trans.), rxvii. 1, note. 
Commercial credit ... is to-day the most important 
wheel in the whole fiduciary mechanism. 
Cyc. Pol. Econ., I. 695. 
Fiduciary capacity, a relation of trust and confidence : 
a phrase much used in the law of imprisonment for debt 
and of insolvency and bankruptcy, to indicate the position 
of the trusted party in relations such as attorney and client, 
guardian and ward, etc. ; the general rule being that, not- 
nment fo 
Fidicina (fi-dis'i-na), . [NL. (Amyot and Ser- withstanding the abolition of imprisonment for debt, a 
ville), < L. fidicen", & plaver on the lute Ivre ''ability incurred in a fiduciary capacity may be enforced 
o JSJ;*1,> 1 A * > Jrr le ' ly . ' by arrest and imprisonment, and is not terminated by a 
etc.: see fidicen.] A genus of homopterous m- dischargeiubankruptcyorinsolvency.-Flduciarydebt 
sects, of the family Cicadidte, containing such See debt. 
species as the tropical American F. mannifera, H. >'> pi. fiduciaries (-riz). 1. One who holds 
famous for the loudness of its shrilling, whence a thing in trust ; a trustee. 
i name. 
fidicinal (fi-dis'i-nal), a. [< L. fidicinm, of or 
for playing on stringed instruments (< fidicen 
Prescription transfers the possession, and disobliges the 
fiduciary from restitution. 
Jer - T y lor < Doctor Dubitantium. 
2f. One who depends for salvation on faith 
without works; an Antinomian. 
(fidiein-), a player on the lute, lyre, etc. : see 
fidicen), + -al.~\ Pertaining to stringed instru- 
ments of either the harp or the viol class. The second obstructive is that of the fiduciary, that 
fidicinalis (fi-dis-i-na'hs), n. ; pi. fidicinales faith is the onl y instrument of his justification, and ex- 
(-lez). [NL., < L. fidicen ( Micin-), a player on clude " good works from Contributing anything towards it. 
the lute: see fidicinal.-] The fiddler's muscle, flal .... .. . r ,. 
one of the four little lumbrical muscles in the fle . T (fl ' " lter j: [Also written /y; < ME. fi,fy, 
palm of the hand, the action of which facili- 5, ic ^-J^J et = w. Dan.fy, fie (Sw.fy skam, 
tates quickmotion of the fingers. See lumbri- ^ '&n^ g ,'- %<*$' ^-% = l i G - 
calis. fi = MHG - A P**, G. pfut = OF. fi, fy, F.fi,&e; 
fidicinius (fid-i-sin'i-us), ,; pi. fidicinii l-l) ot - U Vnuju, ulsophy, and K.f oh, faugh, phew, 
[NL.: see fidicinalis.] Same as fidicinalis etc.: natural expressions of disgust.] Aninter- 
fidicula (fi-dik'u-la), n. ; pi. fidiculce (-le). [L., J ec J; lon expressing contempt, dislike, disappro- 
dim. of fides, a'lute, lyre, etc.] A small musi- " atlon > or impatience, and sometimes surprise. 
cal instrument having the shape of a lyre He that 8eith to his brother, '- '"' "' -"" ' " 
fidispinalis (fid"i-spi-na'lis), n. ; pi. fidispinales ' 
(-lez ). The deep-seated multifid muscle of the S'f " the ' tra y to " re attaynte, at this tyde ; 
back ; the multifidus spins. Coves. " treas Une thou tyxste hynl ' that tr ^l ^ 
r , fy .' schal be gilti to the 
Wyclv > Mat v ' 22 < purv ->- 
field 
/'/.' upon thee '. Art thou a judge, and wilt be afraid to 
give right judgment? 
Latimer, 2d Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1550. 
Fye on this storm '. 
I will go seek the king. Shak., Lear, iii. 1. 
Acres. I I I don't feel quite so bold, somehow, 
as I did. 
Sir Luc. Q fie ! consider your honour. 
Sheridan, The Rivals, v. 3. 
fie 2 (fi), H. An obsolete or dialectal form of/<?el. 
fiedlerite (fed'ler-It), n. [After Baron von 
I-'idl/er.] A hydrous lead chlorid found in tab- 
ular mouoclinic crystals in the ancient slags of 
Laurium, Greece, having been produced by the 
action of sea-water upon them. 
fief (fef), n. [< F. fief, OF. fief, fieu, fied, etc. : 
see fee?, feud' 1 , feoff.] 1. A fee; a feud; an es- 
tate held of a superior on condition of military 
or other service. See feud 2 . 
He cautioned him against forming any designs on Na- 
ples, since that kingdom was a fie/ of the church. 
Prescotl, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 1. 
In France a revolution has passed over the fief, and it 
has become a mere administrative subdivision, the Com 
raune. Maine, Early Law and Custom, p. 826. 
2. In French-Canadian law, immovable prop- 
erty held under a feudal tenure, to which is at- 
tached a privilege of nobility, subject to feal- 
ty and homage and to certain services to the 
seignior. 
Also feoff. 
fiel (fel), a. [Sc., also written feil, feele; cf. 
Icel.felldr, fit, ppr. of fella, join, fit.] Comfort- 
able; cozy. 
O leeze me on my spinning-wheel, 
O leeze me on my rock an' reel ; 
Frae tap to tae that deeds me Men, 
An' haps me fiel an' warm at e'en [ 
Burns, Bess and her Spinning-Whecl. 
field (feld), n. [Early mod. E. &\sofeeld,feelde; 
< WE.feeld,feld,fiM, < AS. feld, a field, pasture, 
plain, open country, = OS. feld = OFnes./eW, 
field = D. veld = MLG. LG. feld = OHG. feld, 
MHG. velt, G.feld (> Sw. fait = Dan. felt), a 
field; Goth, "filth (?) not found. Perhaps akin 
to AS.folde, the earth, dry land, a land, country, 
region, the ground, soil, earth, clay: see/oW*. 
Cf. Finn, pelto, a field; OBulg. polje = Russ. 
pole, a field; OBulg. pohi, open. Connection 
with fell*, a hill, is doubtful ; with fold%, an in- 
closure, out of the question.] 1. A piece of 
cleared or cultivated ground, or of land suitable 
for pasture or tillage ; specifically, any part of 
a farm inclosed or set apart from the rest, as 
for a special use, except a garden, a wood-lot, 
or an orchard, and the appurtenances of the 
buildings : as, a wheat-/e?(/, or a field of pota- 
toes. 
An even/et-Me thou chese, and in the meue . . . 
Or hille or dale in mesure thon demene. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 4. 
The feld give I thee, and the cave that is therein. 
Gen. xxiii. 11. 
The wretched, bloody, and usurping boar, 
That spoil'd your summer fields and fruitful vines. 
Shak., Rich. III., v. 2. 
On either side the river lie 
\An\v; fields of barley and of rye. 
Tenni/son, Lady of Shalott. 
2. Any piece of open ground set apart or used 
for a special purpose : as, a bleaching-./re W. Spe- 
cifically 3. In base-ball, cricket, and similar 
games : () The ground on which the game is 
played; more specifically, in base-ball, that part 
of the ground on which the fielders play, and 
known as in-field, out-field, right-, center-, and 
left-field, according to the station of the cor- 
responding players. See (6). 
The effect of the slow stroke would be to send the hit 
ball to the right field. Sci. Amer., N. S., LV. 168. 
(b) The fielders collectively: as, the work of 
the field was excellent. In base-ball the field In- 
cludes all the players but the pitcher and catcher (who 
are also included when their work is similar to that of the 
other players, as distinct from their specific work as pitch- 
er and catcher), and is divided into the in-field, the three 
basemen and the short-stop, and the out-field, the right-, 
center-, and left-fielders. See fielder. 
4. Any continuous extent of surface consider- 
ed as analogous to a level expanse of ground : 
as, a field of ice or snow. See ice-field. 
A field consists of pieces of closely aggregated ice cov- 
ering an extensive area. A. W. Greely, Arctic Service, Int. 
A field [of ice] in motion coming against another field 
results in the instant upheaval and destruction of the 
edges of the conflicting floes. 
A. W. Greely, Arctic Service, p. 45. 
Specifically 5. The ground or blank space on 
wmch figures are drawn : as, the field or ground 
of a picture. 6. In numis., that part of the sur- 
face of a coin or medal which is left unoccupied 
by the main device (' type')- The field is either left 
