ferret about
Dig through stuff
To ferret about is to search persistently, rummaging through things to find something hidden or lost.
The image comes from using ferrets to flush rabbits from burrows—a thorough, nose-to-the-ground kind of searching: She spent the morning ferreting about in the attic for old photographs.
Chiefly British; Americans more often say ferret around or ferret out.
- rummageSearch unsystematically through clutter
- pokeSharp, quick thrust
- poke aroundSearch in leisurely fashion
- searchAct of seeking
- look throughExamine casually, page by page
delve · dig through · dig · grope · root around · forage · scrabble · hunt · root · sniff · sniff out · investigate · fossick · probe · feel around · scour · sift · go through
activity vs. inactivity
ferret aboutleave alone
Refrain from disturbing
ignore · overlook · mind one's own business · neglect · disregard