# Help me identify a phrase **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959 "2020-01-25T16:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/1 "2020-01-25T16:05:37Z")
I debated whether to put this in GQ or here, so mods, please move it if I chose poorly! Last night, as I was dropping off to sleep, a phrase popped into my head. I know I’ve seen/heard it somewhere before, but I can’t remember where. Google is no help, except that there’s a Spanish-language blog that uses the phrase (which makes me think my brain isn’t just making something up to mess with me). The phrase is: **Fiddle, Faddle, Fun and Fury.** I’m vaguely thinking it’s either in reference to some snack product, or else it was the subtitle for a blog or other website in the early days of the Web. Probably the latter. I know Fiddle-Faddle is/was a snack food (which is probably why snacks came up as a possibiity), but that’s not what I’m looking for. Does it ring a bell for anyone? ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/2 "2020-01-25T19:27:20Z")
Fiddle faddle means nonsense. That phrase was “borrowed” for the snack food. The ONLY use of the phrase “fiddle faddle” that I can remember (without Fun and Fury) was from the old “Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoon show. There was a segment on the show where a character was able to time travel with the help of Mister Wizard." The character would get into trouble, and would yell, “Help, Mister Wizard!” By chanting a phrase, the wizard would bring the time traveler home: "Fiddle, faddle, drizzle, drone! “Time for this one to come home.” ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/3 "2020-01-25T20:02:15Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Fiddle faddle means nonsense. That phrase was “borrowed” for the snack food. > > The ONLY use of the phrase “fiddle faddle” that I can remember (without Fun and Fury) was from the old “Rocky and Bullwinkle” cartoon show. > > There was a segment on the show where a character was able to time travel with the help of Mister Wizard." The character would get into trouble, and would yell, “Help, Mister Wizard!” > > By chanting a phrase, the wizard would bring the time traveler home: > > "Fiddle, faddle, drizzle, drone! > “Time for this one to come home.” > ~VOW > **[Tooter Turtle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooter_Turtle)** > > Tooter Turtle is a cartoon about a turtle that first appeared on TV in 1960, as a segment of the King Leonardo and His Short Subjects program. "Tooter Turtle" debuted on NBC, on Saturday, October 15, 1960, and ran for 39 original episodes through July 22, 1961. These episodes were later rerun as backups on other cartoon shows, but no more original episodes were made. > The plots followed the same general format. Tooter (voiced by Allen Swift) calls on his friend Mr. Wizard the Lizard (voiced by Sa... “Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome; Time for this one to come home” ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/4 "2020-01-26T00:29:57Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > [Tooter Turtle - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooter_Turtle) > > “Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome; Time for this one to come home” Thank you for the correction. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/5 "2020-01-26T00:32:26Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Thank you for the correction. > ~VOW No problem. I wasn’t familiar with the character - when I was a lad, Rocky and Bullwinkle had Sherman and Peabody, McBragg, and Tennessee Tuxedo as associates, but not Tooter (as I recall) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/6 "2020-01-26T01:19:53Z")
“Fiddle-Faddle,” is a song composed by Leroy (“Syncopated Clock”) Anderson in 1947 for The Boston Pops. Probably nothing to do with the OP’s phrase, but maybe it’ll trigger something for someone. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/7 "2020-01-26T01:34:36Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > [Tooter Turtle - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooter_Turtle) > > “Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome; Time for this one to come home” That, or something like it, is also a lyric in the Replacements’ song “Hold My Life.” Always assumed it was just something they made up. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/8 "2020-01-26T03:15:30Z")
It was the title of an article in _New Woman_, Volume 14, February 1984, p.10. It may, in fact, have been a regular segment in the magazine. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/9 "2020-01-26T03:20:24Z")
Yes, it looks like [it was.](https://books.google.com.au/books?id=28QbAQAAMAAJ&dq=Fiddle%2C%20faddle%2C%20fun%20%26%20fury%20New%20woman&source=gbs_book_other_versions) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/10 "2020-01-26T03:26:47Z")
That’s the New Woman catchphrase; the old catchphrase is “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.” ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/11 "2020-01-26T11:43:17Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I debated whether to put this in GQ or here, so mods, please move it if I chose poorly! > > Last night, as I was dropping off to sleep, a phrase popped into my head. I know I’ve seen/heard it somewhere before, but I can’t remember where. Google is no help, except that there’s a Spanish-language blog that uses the phrase (which makes me think my brain isn’t just making something up to mess with me). > > The phrase is: **Fiddle, Faddle, Fun and Fury.** > > I’m vaguely thinking it’s either in reference to some snack product, or else it was the subtitle for a blog or other website in the early days of the Web. Probably the latter. > > I know Fiddle-Faddle is/was a snack food (which is probably why snacks came up as a possibiity), but that’s not what I’m looking for. > > Does it ring a bell for anyone? Could it possibly originate in the tale about Jack and the Beanstalk? I seem to recall the giant’s calling phrase was, “Fee Fi Foh Fum”. But it’s so easy to mix up these things. I hope you realize I’m just trying to be funny to insert a little humor into this thread. I sincerely hope you find the source of this phrase. I would venture a guess that you have almost surely tried to use Google to search for it. Good Luck! Oh Look! See what I found using Google? > **[Fiddle Faddle Fun & Fury but ... be Happy!](https://marantamore.blogspot.com)** > > Chissà qual buon vento vi ha portato fino a qui. Ma che sia il vento di Scirocco proveniente dal Sahara o il Burian delle steppe siberiane, sono felice di ospitarvi. Mi auguro ci faremo buona compagnia fluttuando tra queste pagine che hanno la sola... I’m not fooling this time. Honest! I searched for “Fiddle Faddle Fun Fury” Maybe omitting the “and” was the thing required? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/12 "2020-01-26T15:55:51Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > k! > Oh Look! See what I found using Google? > > [https://marantamore.blogspot.com](https://marantamore.blogspot.com) > > I’m not fooling this time. Honest! > > I searched for “Fiddle Faddle Fun Fury” > > Maybe omitting the “and” was the thing required? From my OP: “Google is no help, except that there’s a Spanish-language blog that uses the phrase (which makes me think my brain isn’t just making something up to mess with me).” 🙂 So yes, I did use Google, and no, that’s not what I’m looking for. Wherever I saw this, it was definitely an English-language location, and it was many years ago. I’m almost certain it was sometime in the 90s or early 2000s, back when the Web was just getting going. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/13 "2020-01-26T17:20:00Z")
FWIW, “fiddle-faddle” is a very old word, dating to the 1570s. The OP’s phrase doesn’t ring any bells with me though. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/14 "2020-01-26T17:36:01Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > So yes, I did use Google, and no, that’s not what I’m looking for. Wherever I saw this, it was definitely an English-language location, and it was many years ago. I’m almost certain it was sometime in the 90s or early 2000s, back when the Web was just getting going. What about the _New Woman_ references mentioned? That is English-language, and it appears to be the name of a recurring column in that magazine (though a late-70s to 80s reference). I also see a reference to it in the Palm Beach Post, Aug. 4, 1982, but that is referencing the _New Woman_ column. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-a-phrase/846959/15 "2026-06-24T15:07:58Z")
Wow! I just realized I’d forgotten to come back to this post (I must not have gotten a notification about it). Now, here I am six years later googling the phrase again and I end up back here! The New Woman magazine must have been where I saw this phrase! I was in college then, but my mom subscribed to that magazine so it’s possible I might have seen it when I was home for a break. I see I must have remembered it slightly wrong (“Fiddle, Faddle, Fuddle & Fury”) but that’s certainly close enough! Thank you for solving a years-old question. 🙂