fiddling away
Aimlessly passing hours
Fiddling away describes time or resources being wasted on trivial activity.
Someone fiddling away the hours is spending them on small, unproductive tasks: He fiddled away the whole afternoon instead of finishing the report.
The phrase can also mean gradually depleting something through careless use: They fiddled away their inheritance on gadgets and trips.
- fidgetingRestless minor movements
- twiddling thumbsGesture of impatient boredom
- doodlingCasual aimless sketching
- pickingAct of selecting
- spendingOutlaying of funds
dilly-dallying · killing time · frittering · passing time · violin · dawdling · puttering · diverting · delaying · twisting · trifling · goofing off · loafing · burning daylight · postponing · stalling · tapping · deferring
fiddling awaygetting down to business
Focusing on the task
buckling down · applying oneself · accomplishing · making progress · knuckling down
fiddling awayfocusing
Concentrating on one point
concentrating · zeroing in · honing in · attending to · locking in
fiddling awaylaboring
Working strenuously
toiling · grinding · hustling · knuckling down · nose to the grindstone