footle
/'fu:tl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb: 1. To act or speak in a foolish, trivial, or nonsensical manner. This refers to behaving or talking in a way that is silly, pointless, or lacking in seriousness. 2. To loiter, hang about, or spend time idly. This sense describes being in a place without a clear purpose, often wasting time.
Examples
- Acting/Speaking Foolishly:
- Stop footling about and get to work!
- He spent the whole meeting footling, offering no useful ideas.
- Loitering/Spending Time Idly:
- The teenagers were footling around the mall all afternoon.
- Don't footle in the hallway; either come in or go out.
Advanced Usage
- "to footle away": to waste time in a trivial or foolish manner.
- He footled away the entire morning on social media.
- "to footle over": to fuss or dawdle over something trivial.
- She's always footling over minor details.
Variants and Related Words
- Footler (noun): a person who footles; someone who acts foolishly or wastes time.
- He's a bit of a footler, never taking anything seriously.
- Footling (adjective): trivial, silly, or insignificant.
- Let's not waste time on these footling matters.
Synonyms
- Dawdle: to waste time; be slow.
- Loiter: to stand or wait around idly.
- Trifle: to treat something as unimportant.
- Putter (around): to occupy oneself in a desultory but pleasant manner.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Footle about/around: This is the most common construction, encompassing both main meanings (to act foolishly or to loiter).
- The children were footling about in the garden. (loitering/playing idly)
- He's just footling around with that old radio. (fussing/tinkering foolishly)
Related Idioms
- "To footle one's time away": to waste one's time on trivialities.
- He has a tendency to footle his time away instead of studying.
Verb
- act foolishly, as by talking nonsense
- be about
- The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square
- Who is this man that is hanging around the department?