One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
1A frivolous or foolish person.‘he grew up regarding his classmates as a bunch of brainless fribbles’
- ‘What quantities of fribbles, paupers, invalids, epicures, antiquaries, politicians, thieves, and triflers of both sexes, might be advantageously spared!’
- 1.1 A thing of no great importance.‘to us a little fire was a fribble, a trifling obstacle’
- ‘Let's include those stock matchbooks in this category, along with all those other fribbles and trifles similarly found.’
Mid 17th century: symbolic, from the earlier (now obsolete) verb meaning ‘stammer’, also ‘act aimlessly or frivolously’.
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