fiddlesticks

Etymology

Circa 1600, England. From fiddlestick, from the late Middle English fidillstyk (“violin bow”).

intj

1. (euphemistic) Nonsense! Expresses dismissal or disdain.
   Fiddlesticks! It's nothing but smoke and mirrors!
   Golden pleasures! golden fiddlesticks!—What d'ye tell me of your canting stuff? 1701, George Farquhar, Sir Harry Wildair, act 4, scene 2; republished in The Dramatic Works of George Farquhar, volume 1, London: John C. Nimmo, 1892, page 295
   "Taken the veil—taken fiddlesticks!" said the old man, merrily; "why she lives near Lincoln, is married to a substantial man, the junior partner of one of the wealthiest bankers in the county […] 1840, Henry Downes Miles, Dick Turpin
   'Safe? Fiddlesticks! There is no safe. Mr Lavington is an intelligent man. You will see, he will have devised a hiding-place much more intelligent than a safe. A safe is the first thing everyone looks for.' 1923-10-06, Agatha Christie, “The Case of the Veiled Lady”, in The Sketch, number 1601
   “Fiddlesticks,” Miss Jenny said. “The war just gave John a good excuse to get himself killed. If it hadn’t been that, it would have been some other way that would have been a bother to everybody around.” 1964 [1929], William Faulkner, Sartoris (The Collected Works of William Faulkner), London: Chatto & Windus, page 23
2. (euphemistic) Darn! Expresses mild dismay or annoyance.
   Oh, fiddlesticks! I locked my keys in the car.

noun

1. plural of fiddlestick