Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To move violently.
Wiktionary
- n. UK, slang An unnecessary or over-complicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time.
- v. UK, slang To waste time on an unproductive activity.
Etymologies
- Dialect, "blow in gusts." (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Oh and PNB, I think organizing a burger get together in Brisbane is prime time for heckling and faff from the southerners.”
“I'd just like to add to the post below that these were worth the extra faff from the usual fairy cake recipe, and that half the icing amount stated is ample!”
“Quokka - I’d be happy for JB to link to my site but maybe he’s scared that all the faff is contagious.”
“I couldn't be bothered to 'faff' about - I was still sore from falling on black ice yesterday - and so cold - so it was a quick fix.”
“Opera, Safari, Konqueror — just getting on with business while the others faff around.”
“Women, although this thread lost a bit of momentum in the short term, it is my belief that the no faff gun thread is self-limiting.”
“Being away from all the faff and blather will probably be quite soothing”
“Maybe we all need our own blogs so we can faff there.”
“But I digress (if not faff): the important point, at least for me, is that I went, I saw, I ate, I drank, but did so without regret or self-recrimination.”
“Quokka - I saw your diaisies message in the “This is serious NO faffing about room” where ALL of the talk was pretty much faff - I tells ya, we cannot help ourselves (the human race on the internet, I mean) - and the almighty non faffers at that!”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘faff’.
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Noteworthy Words
Here I have in mind a list of words that could be spelled with only the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G--and thus could also be played as a tune on the piano.
face, ace, bag, cage, bad, fad, fade, fee, gee, beg, fed, deaf and 98 more...
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EN - newSPEAK
Buzzwords of our time
actionable, administrivia, advermation, agreeance, backbone provider, back-sourcing, baked in, bandwidth, barn raising, Barneyware, belly-buttons, Below Zeros and 1078 more...
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Valuseless
Of low worth or little importance.
Unwanted matter by drusky is a nice, related list.trivial, cheap, inutile, ineffectual, dross, floccinaucinihili..., gimcrack, frippery, invalidated, drivel, otiose, tripe and 91 more...
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Life is just a four-letter word
Everyone's got their favorites. Here are some of mine.
snit, hobo, minx, kiln, loll, pelf, yegg, ugly, bumf, brio, biro, haha and 92 more...
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British Cant & Slang, Old & New
Mostly, the cant words come from my reprint of Francis Grose's 1785 dictionary of 'The Vulgar Tongue', while the more modern slang has been found at various online sources, e.g. this online diction...
bog-standard, bumbaclot, brown trouser moment, bingo wings, bobfoc, babber, sweating, tantadlin tart, taplash, timber toe, tray trip, twiddle-diddles and 209 more...
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Ffine ffettle
Words ending in double F
bailiff, mastiff, pontiff, plaintiff, distaff, dandruff, biff, blastoff, brushoff, bluff, buff, caitiff and 51 more...
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jberkel's list
toodeloo, bedraggled, smithereen, vitriol, obviate, malarkey, scallion, top-notch, awry, twig, pear-shaped, teh and 64 more...
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British variant
motorway, masthead, conk, nobble, bobble, jumper, stoat, minder, banger, boot, foolscap, bubble and squeak and 25 more...
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Living in Scotland
I moved to Scotland in 2011 and promptly had to learn another language. Here are some of the best additions to my vocabulary.
dreich, numpty, bang on, bog-standard, conkers, elevenses, faff, dekko, tickety-boo, snog, chuff, bell-end
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vernacular
omg, wtf, harth, loff, elft, ridonkulous, j-squared, underbears, andropology, liek, cuntificate, hugs tiem and 11 more...
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Distinctly British
Mostly but not limited to slang and some cockney guffy wibble
haberdashery, coventry, knackered, cack-handed, bate, bimble, blag, boffin, bonce, brolly, busk, cack and 71 more...
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Selected words from the Queen's English
British words/phrases/slang I love using in everyday conversation.
yob, wotcher, wotsit, arse, balls-up, barmy, bint, bloke, blimey, bobby, bollocks, brolly and 78 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for faff.
rolig I have never heard this word, but I wonder if it is related to the Slovene vulgarism fafati, which means "to fellate". Sep 23, 2008
bilby British slang - "Verb. To fuss. E.g.'If you stop faffing and let me finish doing this job, then we can go out to the cinema sooner, rather than later.' Informal
Noun. A fuss, bother. E.g."It's such a faff having to go through the process of interviews when you know you are the only candidate worthy of the job.' Informal"
- peevish.co.uk Sep 23, 2008
danny to waste time, fool around. Jan 14, 2007