faff

Definition

An overcomplicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time.

Etymology

From a dialect word meaning "blow in gusts".

Example Sentences

• "Adjusting this television is a bit of a faff."
• "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."
• "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."