faff

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Datamuse reports no synonyms or antonyms for this word.

Noun

1. {{lb|en|UK|Ireland|Commonwealth|slang}} An [[overcomplicated]] task, especially one perceived as a [[waste of time]]. {{defdate|from 20th century}}
2. {{lb|en|originally|northern England|typically|_|'in a faff'}} A state of confused or frantic activity. {{defdate|from 1880s}}
3. {{lb|en|UK|obsolete}} A [[puff]] of smoke; a [[gust]] of [[wind]]. {{defdate|19th century}}

Verb

1. {{lb|en|originally|Yorkshire|now|colloquial|intransitive|of air}} To [[blow]] in [[puff]]s, blow [[gently]]. {{defdate|from 18th century}}
2. {{lb|en|originally|Yorkshire|archaic|transitive}} To [[move]] (something) with a puff of air, to [[blow]] away. {{defdate|from 19th century}}
3. {{lb|en|British|Ireland|Australia|New Zealand|intransitive}} To [[waste time]] on an unproductive activity. {{defdate|from 19th century}}

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.