proverb · Words worth keeping
Fiddler's fare; meat, drink, and money.
Fiddler's fare; meat, drink, and money.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures a fiddler’s reward as food, drink and money. It combines sustenance and payment in a compact account of what the performer receives.
What the words are saying
The list can invite reflection on how work is rewarded and what a worker needs beyond applause. It does not establish the conditions of every musician’s employment or promise that a performance produces all three rewards. A useful application asks what has actually been offered and agreed, instead of substituting a cheerful formula for clear arrangements.
Everyday example
A host discusses a musician’s payment and practical needs before the event rather than relying on compliments afterward.
When to use it
Use it to discuss concrete rewards for performing work.
What it does not mean
The list is not a documented universal account of musicians’ compensation.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 575 · Fiddler's fare
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English