screw around

Idioms  

1. Fool around aimlessly, accomplishing nothing, as in If you boys would stop screwing around we'd have the fence painted in an hour . It is also put as screw around with , as in Stop screwing around with the new camera . The idiom probably derives from screw in the sense of “turn” or “twist.” [ Slang ; second half of 1900s]

2. Be sexually promiscuous, as in He's been screwing around behind her back for years . [ Vulgar slang ; first half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

I’m talking about giving your brain some time to screw around without all your guilty productivity-gouging, giving it a break from your constant money-panic and letting it chill in the peaceful abyss of a non-scrollable daydream — even if just for a little while — every single day.

From Salon

“Funny or Die,” the experimental comedy video website and film-television production company, got its start when director and former “Saturday Night Live” writer Adam McKay, Will Ferrell and writer-director Chris Henchy said, “Let’s screw around.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m worried about him taking care of himself. All I know is, I told him, I had a stroke, and it almost killed me. I’ve been on blood thinners for 13 years. Don’t screw around. This is not like being hurt. This is life and death. A blood clot is dangerous because you never know when it’s going to happen again.”

From Los Angeles Times

You don’t screw around with nuances of storytelling, and you don’t sit with investors telling the same rudimentary story.

From The Verge

There are lots of ways for companies to screw around, like charging too much for parts or throwing up scary warnings — to its credit, Apple does seem to be backing off on that one.

From The Verge