Thing To Do Today: footle about.

Is there a more charming word in the English language than footle?

Is there a more English word in the English language than footle?

To footle is to admit to being aimless. It's rather like pottering about, though footling is even more relaxed than pottering. It's full of the mild joy of doing not very much at all.

You don't see the word used very much, probably because nowadays it is fashionable to be earnest and focused, and so these days doing nothing at all is now often dressed up as either mindfulness or meditation.

It's a pity. I wish we could all rediscover the joys of footling.

Ah well. Humility has to come back into fashion at some point, and perhaps we can be trend-setters for once...

...or, on the other hand, we could just have a good time wandering aimlessly about.

Thing To Do Today: footle. (You say this word FOOtl.) This word comes from the French foutre, which I'm afraid means to mate.