faff


Also found in: Acronyms, Idioms.
Related to faff: FATF

faff

(fæf)
vb
informal (often foll by: about) Brit to dither or fuss
n
a thing that is awkward or time-consuming to do: Changing the bulb was a bit of a faff..
[C19: of obscure origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

faff


Past participle: faffed
Gerund: faffing

Imperative
faff
faff
Present
I faff
you faff
he/she/it faffs
we faff
you faff
they faff
Preterite
I faffed
you faffed
he/she/it faffed
we faffed
you faffed
they faffed
Present Continuous
I am faffing
you are faffing
he/she/it is faffing
we are faffing
you are faffing
they are faffing
Present Perfect
I have faffed
you have faffed
he/she/it has faffed
we have faffed
you have faffed
they have faffed
Past Continuous
I was faffing
you were faffing
he/she/it was faffing
we were faffing
you were faffing
they were faffing
Past Perfect
I had faffed
you had faffed
he/she/it had faffed
we had faffed
you had faffed
they had faffed
Future
I will faff
you will faff
he/she/it will faff
we will faff
you will faff
they will faff
Future Perfect
I will have faffed
you will have faffed
he/she/it will have faffed
we will have faffed
you will have faffed
they will have faffed
Future Continuous
I will be faffing
you will be faffing
he/she/it will be faffing
we will be faffing
you will be faffing
they will be faffing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been faffing
you have been faffing
he/she/it has been faffing
we have been faffing
you have been faffing
they have been faffing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been faffing
you will have been faffing
he/she/it will have been faffing
we will have been faffing
you will have been faffing
they will have been faffing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been faffing
you had been faffing
he/she/it had been faffing
we had been faffing
you had been faffing
they had been faffing
Conditional
I would faff
you would faff
he/she/it would faff
we would faff
you would faff
they would faff
Past Conditional
I would have faffed
you would have faffed
he/she/it would have faffed
we would have faffed
you would have faffed
they would have faffed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
Translations

faff

[fæf] VI (Brit) to faff about or aroundperder el tiempo, ocuparse en bagatelas
stop faffing about or around!¡déjate de tonterías!
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

faff

[ˈfæf] faff about, faff around (British) vitourner en rond
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
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References in periodicals archive ?
Young lads would sooner faff about on their iPhones and tablets than get mucky on the pitch.
Surely, after all that faff, they could have found a name we can say easily?
Alan Ccfc Lydiard WHY don't they give the train line a multi-million-pound upgrade and extend it to the actual airport so there's no need to faff around with a shuttle bus?
"A nasty piece of work" Tory MP Anna Soubry denounces shadow Chancellor John McDonnell during a TV bust-up "Mrs May: from one grammar school girl to another, stop the faff, stop the fudge and the farce, get on with it" Diane James, the new Ukip leader, urging the Prime Minister to bring about Brexit as quickly as possible
Just because you are elderly doesn't mean you have to stop living - keeping up appearances helps keep up morale" The forces' sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn, who is approaching 100 "When I was ten, at school, we all lay down on the floor and took our knickers off to see who had the largest bottom and someone said 'Definitely Jilly's" Writer Jilly Cooper "A nasty piece of work" Tory MP Anna Soubry denounces shadow Chancellor John McDonnell during a TV bust-up "Mrs May, from one grammar school girl to another, stop the faff, stop the fudge and the farce, get on with it" Diane James, the new Ukip leader, urging the Prime Minister to bring about Brexit as quickly as possible
"Mrs May: from one grammar school girl to another, stop the faff, stop the fudge and the farce, get on with it" - Diane James, the new Ukip leader, urging the Prime Minister to bring about Brexit as quickly as possible.
Seriously, who could be bothered with all that faff? I'm sure she didn't spend a lot of time mowing the lawn or mucking out the horses but, even so, she had to organise squads of folk to keep it all ticking over and "live the life".
HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW At-home hair removal may seem like a bit of a faff but Veet Professional Warm Stripless Wax (PS14.99 Boots) is easy to use.
They prefer to stay home and faff about with computer games or social media, which I suppose is a simpler way to stunt your brain than clubbing.
But making a loose-leaf brew in a pot always seems like far too much faff. Until now, that is.