Useful English Word or Phrase to Boost Your English: Fanny About

What does it mean?

To waste time or act aimlessly without getting anything done.

Is it positive or negative?

Negative.

When do you use it?

Commonly used when someone is being slow, indecisive, or is procrastinating instead of doing something useful.

Examples

Example 1: Stop fannying about and get in the car, we're already late!

Example 2: I spent all morning fannying about on the internet and didn't finish any of my work.

Question for you

Do you sometimes spend too much time fannying about instead of being productive?

Are you looking for English speaking practice online?

Fanny about is a classic British expression for procrastination. We work on all kinds of informal phrasal verbs in online English lessons with a British native speaker. For a similar vibe, see Faff. Find out more here.