Spot the Frippet: fiddle-faddle.

Fiddle-faddle describes nonsense, or trivial things.

It can also describe a great fuss made over something essentially trivial.

It's not hard to spot fiddle-faddle, though, I must admit, dangerous to point it out in public at the moment.

Still, a great deal of satisfaction can be gained from the private use of the word.

And, after all, to distinguish the fiddle-faddle from the truly important is the best way there is of stopping ourselves going quite as mad as the rest of them.

Spot the Frippet: fiddle-faddle. This word first appeared in the 1500s. It's a playful version of the word fiddle in the sense time-wasting. 

The Old English form of this word was fithele, and before that it's probably something to do with the Latin word vītulāre, to celebrate.