faff around
Piddle about aimlessly
To faff around is to waste time on trivial activities, to busy oneself ineffectively without accomplishing much.
British in origin but spreading: Stop faffing around and get dressed—we're late.
The shortened faff works as both verb and noun: What a faff that was.
Close to fuss, fiddle about, or mess around.
- procrastinateDelay action unnecessarily
- drag one's feetDeliberately slow progress
- mess aboutAct aimlessly, without purpose
- waste timeUse moments unproductively
- distractedUnable to concentrate
lose focus · dawdle · hang about · potter · meander · fiddle · twiddle thumbs · tinker · putter about · dilly-dally · loiter · lollygag · muck about · muddle · indecisive · frustrated · restless · scatterbrained
faff aroundget down to business
Begin focused work
buckle down · focus · get on with it · knuckle down · concentrate
faff aroundtake action
Begin doing something
commit · get stuck in · take the plunge · make a decision · seize the moment