fiddle about
Tinker without purpose
To fiddle about is to occupy oneself with trivial activities or tinker aimlessly: He spent the afternoon fiddling about in the garage.
The phrase suggests puttering without clear purpose or accomplishment.
British English; Americans typically say fiddle around.
Can also mean to tamper with something: Someone's been fiddling about with the settings.
tinker
Mender of metal household wares
- fidgetRestless small movements
- toy withEngage halfheartedly with
- play withInteract recreationally with
tamper · meddle · twiddle · adjust · tweak · mess with · dabble · noodle · experiment · handle
dilly-dally
Waste time idly
loiter · linger · dally · shilly-shally · mosey · amble · saunter · meander · piddle · fool around
fiddle aboutfocus
Concentrated attention point
concentrate · buckle down · get down to business · knuckle down · apply oneself
fiddle abouttake action
Begin doing something
commit · get to work · get started · get cracking · start
fiddle aboutfinish
Bring to completion
complete · accomplish · conclude · wrap up · see through
fiddle, about, fiddled, fiddling, fiddler, fiddlers, fiddles