futz with

futz with (something)

1. slang To engage in aimless recreation or frivolous time-wasting; to fool around. I can't believe we spent the whole day just futzing with the TV.
2. slang To play or tinker with something. Hey, don't futz with the thermostat—it needs to stay at 68 degrees. Grandpa's still futzing with that old radio, but I doubt he'll get it to work again.
See also: futz
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

futz with

v. Slang
To manipulate something without a clear sense of purpose: The child futzed with the toy, and then it broke.
See also: futz
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • futz with (something)
  • futz around
  • putz around
  • goof off
  • effing around
  • F-ing around
  • goof around
References in periodicals archive
"Developers want to maintain their listing prices and then futz with the numbers behind the scenes," said Paul Johansen, an associate broker with CORE Real Estate.
Brooklyn's luxury developers feel the blues
You immediately wipe the slate clean and push the mound of pieces into the center of the table, where with the tension in the room you begin to futz with them again.
News of the Week
Some pilots like a lot of small, zippered compartments; others consider them just more zippers to futz with while trying to find the airplane keys.
Pilot flight bags: a tote for every purpose
And why not buy a tool that's lighter and cheaper, and never have to futz with chargers?
I my corded screw gun
In I Miss You Every Day, based on Woody Guthrie's "Mail Myself to You" (Guthrie's estate wouldn't give Taback permission to futz with the lyrics, so he wrote his own), Taback finds the sweetly minor-key, melancholy tone of a klezmer violin.
Alles Fur Die Kinder
Who had time to futz with a dollhouse-sized keyboard while a Klingon war party was advancing with malice?
Voice search: 'beam me up, Scotty' for everyone
--Mark Sullivan <p>Cutting the Cord Gets Easier Each CES: Intel's Wireless Display is exactly what it sounds like--a laptop equipped with the technology to connect to your TV at the push of a button, giving you much more screen real estate without the need to futz with wires.
CES 2010: Picks and Pans
Marenzi also had to futz with the integration of the Spelling and Rysher libraries and handle the personnel issues connected to these takeovers; for his part, Nunez has managed to work well with King World's larger-than-life boss Roger King and get the Eye involved in the global format biz.
TV retrenching leaves vet behind
During periods of silence, don't pick the lint off your lapel, futz with or read anything.
7 habits of highly effective mass-goers: the secret to getting the most out of Mass may be easier than you think. Try these seven simple steps that allow the Mass to do its work on you
While the feds futz with new regulations for Web site accessibility, the private sector actually does something about it.
Balance Sheet