E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Diddle (To).
To cheat in a small way, as “I diddled him out of … .” Edgar Allan Poe has an article on the art of “Diddling.” Rhyming slang is very common. (See CHIVY.) Fiddle and diddle rhyme. “Fiddle” is slang for a sharper, and “diddle” is the act of a sharper. The suggestive rhyme was
