horse around

Related to horse around: ride roughshod over

horse around

1. To engage in aimless recreation or frivolous time-wasting; to fool around. Quit horsing around and do your book report already—it's due tomorrow!
2. To play or fool around in a rough or rowdy manner. Boys, quit horsing around before someone gets hurt!
See also: around, horse
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

horse around

 (with someone or something)
1. Fig. to play around roughly with someone or something, possibly abusing someone or something. Stop horsing around with your little brother. Leave him alone. Will you kids stop horsing around?
2. Fig. to join someone in boisterous play; to participate in rough play with someone. He's horsing around with his little brother. They are really having a good time. We spent the entire afternoon just horsing around.
See also: around, horse
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

horse around

Indulge in frivolous activity or play. For example, The boys were horsing around all afternoon. This term presumably alludes to horseplay, which has meant "rough or boisterous play" since the late 1500s. [First half of 1900s]
See also: around, horse
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

horse around

v. Slang
To engage in frivolous or idle activity; goof off: Stop horsing around and get to work! The kids horsed around in the park all day.
See also: around, horse
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

horse around

in. to work inefficiently; to goof around. You guys are always horsing around.
See also: around, horse
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • futz around
  • get (someone) around the table
  • get around the table
  • find way around
  • around (one's) ears
  • bomb around
  • go around and around
References in periodicals archive
Jimmy Hill rides a horse around Highfield Road in 1967 (left) and (inset) current City boss Paul Fletcher.
See me horse around to help the Sky Blues
Oliver is also charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, over claims he held a police horse around its neck.
Police assault accused in court
Kay Sutcliffe, 38, was leading her horse around the ring in front of judges when it reared up and booted her twice.
HORSE KILLS MUM; She's kicked in head showing it off to judges at show
After complaining of feeling unwell, he collapsed and fell from the horse around halfway around the 10-mile course.
Echoes of friend's death
Spotting the two soldiers blocking his path, Revere quickly turned his horse around, headed back toward the Charles town neck, and took the Mystic Road northbound into Medford.
Hero on horseback: modern cynics downplay Paul Revere's accomplishments, but he deserves ample credit for his famous midnight ride and his many other contributions to the cause of liberty
An Illinois man was questioned by police who found him dragging a dead horse around with a rope tied to the back of his pick-up truck.
WEIRD IN THE USA; It's just another world over the pond
She later ignored more safety advice by not wearing a hard hat as she rode a chestnut coloured horse around snow-covered fields on her 20,000-acre estate.
Safety first,Ma'am
"He's got bags of natural ability, travels really strongly and jumps really nicely - that would help any horse around Cheltenham."
Racing: Monkerhostin will stay says Johnson