I taught my sons a new word this week – faff.
My husband and my youngest son faff about. There is no other word that properly describes it. They are incapable of walking out the door without faffing. My oldest son and I do not faff. We leave at exactly the time required and arrive at places on time (preferably a few minutes early in fact.)
We need to leave the house each morning by 7.45am. I tell my boys that we need to go at 7.35am to allow my youngest son his faffing time. I couldn’t really tell you what he does for the next five minutes, I don’t think even he knows really but he’s just incapable of picking up his bag and walking out the door without a few dalliances along the way. By 7.40am we have walked out of the front door, leaving my husband with his five minutes of faffing time until he is ready. He doesn’t truly pay attention to the time until he’s heard the front door open.
This plan was working perfectly until my oldest son worked it all out and said:
Why do you say we need to leave at 7.35am when we don’t need to leave until 7.45am?
My cover was blown. So, I decided to come clean to the whole family and explain the faff factor and how I build it into any plans that require being somewhere by a certain time.
You and I, I told my oldest son, do not faff. We walk out the door without any problems. Your father and your brother do faff so I factor in that amount of time.
My oldest son likes this word and tries to use it in a sentence whenever he can now:
Stop faffing about.
You’re always faffing.
Do you have to faff?
Put your shoes on, don’t faff.
I’ve learned a new word this week as well. I wasn’t sure if faff had one or two fs at the end. Two, definitely.
Faf is not a term we’ve used in our house. But now I know it’s there, I am ready, willing and able to use it, just in case I see someone who is completely and utterly faf.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Faff is an excellent word. Faf I was not aware of but like very much!
Agree with FM – faff is by far a most excellent word. As to faf… quite widely used in the City although judging by the number of overweight young women trudging around, maybe not as frequently as when I was in my 20s.
Just a thought.
LCM x
We call that lollygagging in our home and often use the phrase “let’s motor doter!” We will add faff to our list now.
Thelma
I do that thing of building in an extra 5 or 10 minutes. I also have the kitchen clock and the car clock a couple of minutes fast.
Does American English have a word for faff?
Faffing is a great word. Littleboy 2 definitely faffs about. And it takes us 10 minutes to get out of the door and into the car…..
I’m a faffer. I give myself ten minutes. No kidding. And I fall for it.
We use faff a lot in our house, because at any one time there is always someone faffing and making us late. It drives me mad! But it’s a bit hypocritical of me because if we don’t have anywhere to be, there’s nothing like a bit of faffing, or pottering about, to pass the time.