faff about

Related to faff about: type up, doss about

faff about

To waste time or procrastinate by doing something unproductive or unhelpful; to fool around or spend time idly. Primarily heard in UK. Would you quit faffing about and give me a hand cleaning the house? I should have started this essay last week, but I've been faffing about with my new video game console.
See also: faff
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • any time means no time
  • any time
  • anytime
  • (it's) (a)bout time
  • about time
  • at all hours
  • at all hours (of the day and night)
  • about time too
  • any old time
  • ahead of (someone's or something's) time
References in periodicals archive
To faff about is to waste time doing tasks of very little significance, such as trying to work out the deeper meaning of someone's nickname when there really isn't any.
PICK OF THE DAY
1PLUG IT IN Rather than faff about with fiddly connectors or have to plunk something that looks like a giant rugby ball or a little tiny space ship in the middle of your living room, use this classicallystyled Sony system to play back the music stored on your phone.
big boys toys; Now that everyone's got their fourth generation iPhone, they're probably already bored of fiddling with it. Matt Thomas takes a look at some of the gadgets that will re-ignite your love for the shiniest of accessories
After moaning for an hour and appearing to do nothing more than faff about with a valve, he handed us an invoice for pounds 450 and told us about his upcoming holiday to Barbados.
Plumbing depths in education
"I run really early in the morning and the surgery also saves me having to faff about then.
Bird's eye surgery; EXCLUSIVE TV news host Jackie has laser op to win triathlons
They prefer to stay home and faff about with computer games or social media, which I suppose is a simpler way to stunt your brain than clubbing.
Alternative to clubbing
While men are supposed to get ready to go out with little more than a lick and polish, women are always said to faff about for hours keeping their long-suffering loved-ones waiting.
No time for leisurely lipstick with kids; COLUMNIST lowriturner Talking Welsh sense in a mad, mad world