messed about
Wasted time idly
Messed about means to waste time on trivial activities or behave without serious purpose: We messed about in the garden all afternoon.
It can also mean to treat someone carelessly or unfairly: Stop messing me about and give me a straight answer.
Chiefly British; Americans prefer messed around.
- interferedObstructed or meddled
- dawdlingLeisurely time-wasting
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- loafingPassing time idly
- dabblingShallow, casual involvement
pottering · skylarking · teasing · having a laugh · bungling · joking · clowning · goofing off · tinkering · muddling · faffing · arsing around · procrastinating · killing time · fooling around · botching · idling · frittering
seriousness of activity
messed aboutworked hard
focused · buckled down · got down to business · concentrated · applied oneself
mess, messed, messing, messy, messier, messiest, messily, messiness, about