fiddle about
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to spend time doing small, unimportant things or to play with something in a nervous way.
phrasal verb. to engage in aimless or unproductive activity; to manipulate an object restlessly or ineffectually. Often carries a connotation of wasting time or lacking focus.
Stop fiddling about with your pen and listen to me.
We spent the whole afternoon fiddling about with the printer, but it still won't connect to the Wi-Fi.
While the committee fiddled about with minor administrative details, the core budget crisis remained entirely unaddressed by the leadership.
- mess around
- play with
- waste time
- procrastinate
- get down to work
- focus
- Particles
- about
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- fiddle + about (+ with + object)
often used when the speaker is frustrated by someone's lack of progress or focus.
contrast with 'fiddle with' (which usually involves a specific object) versus 'fiddle about' (which often describes general time-wasting); note that 'fiddle around' is the common American equivalent.
He was fiddling about the engine for hours.He was fiddling about with the engine for hours.when 'fiddle about' takes a physical object, it almost always requires the preposition 'with'.
Last updated April 24, 2026