What does "faff" mean?
What it means: To waste time, fuss about, or do things in a disorganised and inefficient way without achieving anything."Stop faffing around and just do it." (stop wasting time)"There's too much faff involved." (noun - unnecessary hassle or complication)"We spent half an hour faffing before we ev...
What it means
To waste time, fuss about, or do things in a disorganised and inefficient way without achieving anything.
"Stop faffing around and just do it." (stop wasting time)
"There's too much faff involved." (noun - unnecessary hassle or complication)
"We spent half an hour faffing before we even started."
"What a faff." (what a waste of time / what unnecessary bother)
As a noun
A faff = an unnecessary fuss, effort, or hassle:
"Getting a refund from them was a complete faff."
"Is it much of a faff to sort out?"
What it implies
The activity is unproductive, overly complicated, or involves pointless fussing. It often suggests slight irritation at the wasted time.
Faff about / faff around
Both common, same meaning.
Register
Very British, informal. Americans don't use this word at all. It's a reliable marker of British English.
A native would say
- "Mess around" - casual, similar meaning
- "Waste time" - direct
- "Piss about" - vulgar British version, stronger
- "Fuss" - similar concept
What does "faff" mean?
To waste time, fuss about, or do things in a disorganised and inefficient way without achieving anything.
"Stop faffing around and just do it." (stop wasting time)
"There's too much faff involved." (noun - unnecessary hassle or complication)
"We spent half an hour faffing before we even started."
"What a faff." (what a waste of time / what unnecessary bother)
Is "faff" formal or informal?
Very British, informal. Americans don't use this word at all. It's a reliable marker of British English.
What's another way to say "faff"?
- "Mess around" - casual, similar meaning
- "Waste time" - direct
- "Piss about" - vulgar British version, stronger
- "Fuss" - similar concept
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