faff about


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Related to faff about: type up, doss about

faff about

To waste time or procrastinate by doing something unproductive or unhelpful; to fool around or spend time idly. Primarily heard in UK. Would you quit faffing about and give me a hand cleaning the house? I should have started this essay last week, but I've been faffing about with my new video game console.
See also: faff
References in periodicals archive ?
After moaning for an hour and appearing to do nothing more than faff about with a valve, he handed us an invoice for pounds 450 and told us about his upcoming holiday to Barbados.
Plumbing depths in education
I run really early in the morning and the surgery also saves me having to faff about then.
Bird's eye surgery; EXCLUSIVE TV news host Jackie has laser op to win triathlons
They prefer to stay home and faff about with computer games or social media, which I suppose is a simpler way to stunt your brain than clubbing.
Alternative to clubbing
While men are supposed to get ready to go out with little more than a lick and polish, women are always said to faff about for hours keeping their long-suffering loved-ones waiting.
No time for leisurely lipstick with kids; COLUMNIST lowriturner Talking Welsh sense in a mad, mad world
And while they faff about, evidence is accumulating inexorably that GM crops are unstable and dangerous,' said Dr John.
Fresh storm over GM crops
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