The difference between Faff about and Mess around
When used as verbs, faff about means to waste time, whereas mess around means to fiddle idly.
check bellow for the other definitions of Faff about and Mess around
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Faff about as a verb (intransitive):
To waste time; spend time idly.
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Mess around as a verb (informal):
To fiddle idly.
Examples:
"The kids sat there messing around with leaves and blades of grass because they were bored."
"These guys don't mess around! They finished the whole job in ten minutes."
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Mess around as a verb (informal):
To joke, kid, or play.
Examples:
"Hey, don't take it personally. I was only messing around."
"Don't mess around with electricity if you don't understand it."
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Mess around as a verb (informal):
To have a sexual relationship, especially one which is non-commital.
Examples:
"Rumor has it that he's messing around with his secretary."