Idiom
faff about
Meanings
to waste time doing trivial things; to be slow or disorganised instead of making progress
to fuss and make unnecessary adjustments, often in preparation for something
Definition
To faff about means to waste time doing unimportant things instead of doing what you should be doing.
If you faff about, you spend time doing small, unnecessary actions and make no real progress. It often suggests you are being slow, disorganised, or indecisive. People commonly say it when they feel impatient and want someone to get on with the task.
Examples
- Stop faffing about and get your shoes on.
- We faffed about for ages before leaving the house.
- He was faffing about with the printer instead of calling IT.
- Don’t faff about in the morning or you’ll miss the train.
Common mistake
Learners often forget the particle and say “faff” alone when they mean “faff about.”
More at B2 level
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More phrasal verbs
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