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

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

From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2023

There’s not much to do on it aside from futz around with watch faces, read tutorials, tweak settings, and that’s… about it.

From The Verge • Aug. 26, 2022

The half-dozen well-practiced rock musicians who perform as Grand Canyon don’t futz around.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 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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