To spend time doing unimportant or ineffective things; to procrastinate or waste time.
British slang of uncertain origin, possibly imitative (imitating the sound of fluttering or fussing). Became prominent in 20th-century British English.
This is pure British English—'faff' perfectly captures that moment of moving busily without accomplishing anything, and Brits use it constantly while Americans say 'mess around' or 'dick around,' showing how the same concept gets different names across English.
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