fingering an object to kill time; amusing oneself; diversion
Refers to handling or playing with something small to pass the time, or a light pastime. Often implies idle hands.
Bored, I was fiddling with a pen on the desk as a way to kill time.
Knitting is her diversion.
A less common, somewhat old-fashioned or literary term for gambling, often with a nuance of casual or idle betting.
In the old days, people used to play hanafuda as a light gambling pastime.
Standard kanji spelling.
Search-only kanji form; not a standard written variant.
Compound of 手 (hand) and 慰み (amusement, consolation). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word suggests amusement or distraction for the hands.