bum around

1. Loaf, wander idly, as in After graduating he decided to bum around Europe for a year . [Mid-1800s]

2. Frequent bars or nightclubs, as in Her father accused her of bumming around half the night and threatened to cut off her allowance . In the mid-1800s to bum was slang for going on a drinking spree. A century later, with the addition of around , it simply meant going to saloons or clubs.

Related Words

• drift
• meander
• prowl
• ramble
• saunter
• stray
• stroll
• traipse
• tramp
• trek