futz around

Idioms  

1. Also, futz with. Waste time or effort on frivolities, play around. For example, He spent all morning futzing around with the report, or No more futzing with the car—we have to go now. This term may be a shortening and corruption of the Yiddish arumfartzen, for “fart around.” [Slang; 1920s]

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Example Sentences

Yes, we hate it, yes we love it, and yes, as is our habit, we let time mosey on by as we futz around over what to do.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2024

It was incredibly hot to wear silicone, so there wasn’t as much time to futz around.

From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2023

I also think that Google is going to futz around with these gestures again once Android 11 rolls around, so I’m not going to get too attached to them.

From The Verge • Sep. 4, 2019

In those cases, it’s much easier for a hacker to futz around with a looping video, a photograph of you, or a shoddy mask until they gain access.

From Slate • Jun. 12, 2019

Here every square inch of interior space is acclimatized to a refreshing and humidity-free 72 degrees Fahrenheit—so brisk that some of us futz around wearing sweaters and socks while the outside temperature climbs toward 100.

From Scientific American • Feb. 12, 2018

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