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fanny

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fanny about

1. To waste time or procrastinate by doing something unproductive or unhelpful; to fool around or spend time idly. Primarily heard in UK. Would you quit fannying about and give me a hand cleaning the house? I should have started this essay last week, but I've been fannying about with my new video game console.

2. To wander around a place, especially in an aimless or idle manner. Primarily heard in UK. After I quit my job, I spent six months fannying about Paris.

See also: fanny

fanny around

1. To waste time or procrastinate by doing something unproductive or unhelpful; to fool around or spend time idly. Primarily heard in UK. Would you quit fannying around and give me a hand cleaning the house? I should have started this essay last week, but I've been fannying around with my new video game console.

2. To wander around a place, especially in an aimless or meandering manner. Primarily heard in UK. After I quit my job, I spent six months fannying around Paris.

See also: around, fanny

Fanny Adams

obsolete A ration of tinned mutton, as provided upon a naval ship. This macabre sobriquet was taken from the name of an eight-year-old girl who was brutally murdered in 1867, thus likening the quality of the meat rations to the remains of the young girl. I swear if I have to eat Fanny Adams one more time, I will throw myself overboard.

See also: Adam, fanny

bums on seats

  (British & Australian informal) also fannies in the seats (American informal)

if a public performance or a sports event puts bums on seats, many people pay to go and see it This production needs a big name to put bums on seats.

See also: bum, on, seat

sweet Fanny Adams

  (informal) also sweet FA (very informal)

nothing

Usage notes: Fanny Adams and FA are used in this expression to avoid saying fuck-all.

Why's Mark dispensing advice? He knows sweet Fanny Adams about computers! And what did we get for all our hard work? Sweet FA!

See also: Adam, fanny, sweet

fanny

n. the buttocks. (Euphemistic in the U.S. The term has taboo implications in the U.K.) He fell down right on his fanny.

fanny-bumper

n. an event that draws so many people that they bump into one another. There was a typically dull fanny-bumper in the village last night.

fanny-dipper

n. a swimmer, as opposed to a surfer. (California.) The fanny-dippers are not supposed to go out that far.