See faff on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "From a dialect word meaning \"blow in gusts\".",
"forms": [
{
"form": "faffs",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
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{
"args": {},
"expansion": "faff (plural faffs)",
"name": "en-noun"
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "British English",
"parents": [],
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},
{
"kind": "other",
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{
"kind": "other",
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{
"_dis": "76 24",
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{
"_dis": "78 22",
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"_dis": "74 26",
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{
"_dis": "83 17",
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{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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40,
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],
"text": "Adjusting this television is a bit of a faff.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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17,
21
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],
"ref": "2007 November 27, Hadley Freeman, “Miaow!”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "God it must be a faff having to get nigh-on naked every time your bladder runneth over, and imagine how much worse it must be if you only have a 20-second break to run off stage to the loo.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
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"ref": "2011, Patrick Kingsley, “Life with the Queen Mum revealed”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "Breakfast in bed at the royal household is a massive faff. A page boy must carry the tray upstairs, but he's banned from actually serving it. So he leaves it on the floor by the bedroom door, whereupon a housemaid picks it up and knocks on said portal.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
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"ref": "2017, Andi Watson, Glister, →ISBN:",
"text": "The fuss and faff meant Christmas had long since been drained of any joy and excitement.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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],
"ref": "2023 September 23, Tim Hayward, “Not so easy does it”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 19:",
"text": "The show is a carefully curated manifesto of “social success without faff”.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time."
],
"id": "en-faff-en-noun-56I8MJyn",
"links": [
[
"overcomplicated",
"overcomplicated"
],
[
"waste of time",
"waste of time"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "annoyance"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "bother"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"tags": [
"British",
"slang"
],
"word": "faff"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "grievance"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "hassle"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "inconvenience"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "irritation"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "nuisance"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"tags": [
"British"
],
"word": "palaver"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "peeve"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "plague"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "trouble"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "vexation"
}
],
"tags": [
"Commonwealth",
"Ireland",
"UK",
"slang"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "gedoe"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "soesa"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "galère"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "corvée"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "bzdura"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "głupota"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "marrón"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fastidio"
},
{
"_dis1": "98 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "lata"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
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{
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17,
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],
"text": "She's in a total faff about tonight's dinner party.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A state of confused or frantic activity."
],
"id": "en-faff-en-noun-o0J1zgMH",
"qualifier": "typically in the phrase 'in a faff'",
"raw_glosses": [
"(typically in the phrase 'in a faff') A state of confused or frantic activity."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "flap"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fæf/"
},
{
"audio": "En-au-faff.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg/En-au-faff.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-æf"
}
],
"word": "faff"
}
{
"etymology_text": "From a dialect word meaning \"blow in gusts\".",
"forms": [
{
"form": "faffs",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "faffing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "faffed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "faffed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Australian English",
"parents": [],
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},
{
"kind": "other",
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{
"kind": "other",
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{
"kind": "other",
"name": "New Zealand English",
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{
"_dis": "39 2 59",
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"_dis": "19 5 76",
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],
"derived": [
{
"word": "faff about"
},
{
"word": "faffage"
},
{
"word": "faff around"
},
{
"word": "faffer"
},
{
"word": "faffery"
},
{
"word": "faff on"
}
],
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"ref": "2009, Steven Aitchison, 100 Ways to Develop Your Mind, page 131:",
"text": "Stop Faffing And Just Do It",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To waste time on an unproductive activity."
],
"id": "en-faff-en-verb-Rg6TMgVV",
"links": [
[
"waste time",
"waste time"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) To waste time on an unproductive activity."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "arse around"
},
{
"english": "American",
"translation": "American",
"word": "dick around"
}
],
"tags": [
"Australia",
"British",
"Ireland",
"New-Zealand"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"sense": "To waste time on an unproductive activity",
"tags": [
"dialectal"
],
"word": "fjockla"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fæf/"
},
{
"audio": "En-au-faff.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg/En-au-faff.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-æf"
}
],
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}
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "0 0",
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "cim",
"name": "People",
"orig": "cim:People",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
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"expansion": "Middle High German pfaffe",
"name": "inh"
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{
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{
"args": {
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"expansion": "Latin papa",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "cim",
"2": "gkm",
"3": "παπᾶς"
},
"expansion": "Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs)",
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},
{
"args": {
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"2": "grc-koi",
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},
{
"args": {
"1": "cim",
"2": "grc",
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},
"expansion": "Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
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},
"expansion": "German Pfaffe",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "paap"
},
"expansion": "Dutch paap",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "cim",
"2": "baabost"
},
"expansion": "Doublet of baabost",
"name": "doublet"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle High German pfaffe, from Old High German pfaffo, phapho, from Latin papa, from Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs), from Koine Greek πάπας (pápas), from Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas). Cognate to German Pfaffe, Dutch paap. Doublet of baabost.",
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{
"form": "faffen",
"tags": [
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]
}
],
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{
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"cat2": "",
"g": "m",
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"expansion": "faff m",
"name": "head"
},
{
"args": {
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"expansion": "faff m (plural faffen)",
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],
"lang": "Cimbrian",
"lang_code": "cim",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Luserna Cimbrian",
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{
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{
"_dis": "100 0",
"kind": "other",
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"name": "Religion",
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"english": "Priests heal people's souls.",
"text": "De faffen luughent naach dar zéel bon lòiten.",
"translation": "Priests heal people's souls.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"priest"
],
"id": "en-faff-cim-noun-D8SBa7Mi",
"links": [
[
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"raw_glosses": [
"(Luserna, Sette Comuni) priest"
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"tags": [
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}
],
"word": "faff"
}
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "0 0",
"kind": "other",
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"lang": "Cimbrian",
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"_dis": "16 84",
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{
"_dis": "5 95",
"kind": "other",
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"name": "Lily family plants",
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{
"_dis": "16 84",
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],
"glosses": [
"lily (flower)"
],
"id": "en-faff-cim-noun-KEGtlorr",
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"(Luserna) lily (flower)"
],
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],
"word": "faff"
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"Cimbrian nouns",
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"expansion": "Middle High German pfaffe",
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"2": "goh",
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"name": "inh"
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{
"args": {
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"2": "la",
"3": "papa"
},
"expansion": "Latin papa",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "cim",
"2": "gkm",
"3": "παπᾶς"
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"expansion": "Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs)",
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{
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{
"args": {
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"2": "grc",
"3": "πάππας"
},
"expansion": "Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "Pfaffe"
},
"expansion": "German Pfaffe",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "paap"
},
"expansion": "Dutch paap",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "cim",
"2": "baabost"
},
"expansion": "Doublet of baabost",
"name": "doublet"
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],
"etymology_text": "From Middle High German pfaffe, from Old High German pfaffo, phapho, from Latin papa, from Byzantine Greek παπᾶς (papâs), from Koine Greek πάπας (pápas), from Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas). Cognate to German Pfaffe, Dutch paap. Doublet of baabost.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "faffen",
"tags": [
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]
}
],
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{
"args": {
"1": "cim",
"2": "noun",
"cat2": "",
"g": "m",
"g2": "",
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},
"expansion": "faff m",
"name": "head"
},
{
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"lang_code": "cim",
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"categories": [
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{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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"english": "Priests heal people's souls.",
"text": "De faffen luughent naach dar zéel bon lòiten.",
"translation": "Priests heal people's souls.",
"type": "example"
}
],
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"priest"
],
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"(Luserna, Sette Comuni) priest"
],
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"Sette-Comuni",
"masculine"
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}
],
"word": "faff"
}
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"expansion": "faff ?",
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"lang_code": "cim",
"pos": "noun",
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"categories": [
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"glosses": [
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"(Luserna) lily (flower)"
],
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}
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"word": "faff"
}
{
"categories": [
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"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 2 entries",
"Pages with entries",
"Requests for gender in Cimbrian entries",
"Rhymes:English/æf",
"Rhymes:English/æf/1 syllable",
"Terms with Dutch translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"cim:Flowers",
"cim:Lily family plants",
"cim:Occupations",
"cim:People",
"cim:Religion"
],
"etymology_text": "From a dialect word meaning \"blow in gusts\".",
"forms": [
{
"form": "faffs",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "faff (plural faffs)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"British English",
"Commonwealth English",
"English slang",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"Irish English"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
40,
44
]
],
"text": "Adjusting this television is a bit of a faff.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
17,
21
]
],
"ref": "2007 November 27, Hadley Freeman, “Miaow!”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "God it must be a faff having to get nigh-on naked every time your bladder runneth over, and imagine how much worse it must be if you only have a 20-second break to run off stage to the loo.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
53,
57
]
],
"ref": "2011, Patrick Kingsley, “Life with the Queen Mum revealed”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "Breakfast in bed at the royal household is a massive faff. A page boy must carry the tray upstairs, but he's banned from actually serving it. So he leaves it on the floor by the bedroom door, whereupon a housemaid picks it up and knocks on said portal.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
13,
17
]
],
"ref": "2017, Andi Watson, Glister, →ISBN:",
"text": "The fuss and faff meant Christmas had long since been drained of any joy and excitement.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
69,
73
]
],
"ref": "2023 September 23, Tim Hayward, “Not so easy does it”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 19:",
"text": "The show is a carefully curated manifesto of “social success without faff”.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time."
],
"links": [
[
"overcomplicated",
"overcomplicated"
],
[
"waste of time",
"waste of time"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "annoyance"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "bother"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"tags": [
"British",
"slang"
],
"word": "faff"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "grievance"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "hassle"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "inconvenience"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "irritation"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "nuisance"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"tags": [
"British"
],
"word": "palaver"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "peeve"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "plague"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "trouble"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:nuisance",
"word": "vexation"
}
],
"tags": [
"Commonwealth",
"Ireland",
"UK",
"slang"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
17,
21
]
],
"text": "She's in a total faff about tonight's dinner party.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A state of confused or frantic activity."
],
"qualifier": "typically in the phrase 'in a faff'",
"raw_glosses": [
"(typically in the phrase 'in a faff') A state of confused or frantic activity."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "flap"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fæf/"
},
{
"audio": "En-au-faff.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg/En-au-faff.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-æf"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "gedoe"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "soesa"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "galère"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "corvée"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "bzdura"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "głupota"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "marrón"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fastidio"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "an overcomplicated task",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "lata"
}
],
"word": "faff"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 2 entries",
"Pages with entries",
"Requests for gender in Cimbrian entries",
"Rhymes:English/æf",
"Rhymes:English/æf/1 syllable",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"cim:Flowers",
"cim:Lily family plants",
"cim:Occupations",
"cim:People",
"cim:Religion"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "faff about"
},
{
"word": "faffage"
},
{
"word": "faff around"
},
{
"word": "faffer"
},
{
"word": "faffery"
},
{
"word": "faff on"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From a dialect word meaning \"blow in gusts\".",
"forms": [
{
"form": "faffs",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "faffing",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "faffed",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "faffed",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "faff (third-person singular simple present faffs, present participle faffing, simple past and past participle faffed)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"Australian English",
"British English",
"English terms with quotations",
"Irish English",
"New Zealand English",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
5,
12
]
],
"ref": "2009, Steven Aitchison, 100 Ways to Develop Your Mind, page 131:",
"text": "Stop Faffing And Just Do It",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To waste time on an unproductive activity."
],
"links": [
[
"waste time",
"waste time"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(British, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) To waste time on an unproductive activity."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "arse around"
},
{
"english": "American",
"translation": "American",
"word": "dick around"
}
],
"tags": [
"Australia",
"British",
"Ireland",
"New-Zealand"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/fæf/"
},
{
"audio": "En-au-faff.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg/En-au-faff.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/En-au-faff.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-æf"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"lang_code": "sv",
"sense": "To waste time on an unproductive activity",
"tags": [
"dialectal"
],
"word": "fjockla"
}
],
"word": "faff"
}
Download raw JSONL data for faff meaning in All languages combined (11.0kB)
{
"called_from": "page/2530",
"msg": "skipping string in the middle of translations: </table></div></div>\n\n",
"path": [
"faff"
],
"section": "English",
"subsection": "noun",
"title": "faff",
"trace": ""
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-12-31 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-12-20 using wiktextract (e97c820 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.