clown about
A British phrasal verb meaning to mess around, act the fool, or have irresponsible fun — not maliciously, but in that chaotic, overgrown-child way that drives sensible people mildly mad.
Definitions
A British phrasal verb meaning to mess around, act the fool, or have irresponsible fun — not maliciously, but in that chaotic, overgrown-child way that drives sensible people mildly mad. When someone is clowning about, they're doing pratfalls instead of paying attention, making stupid jokes instead of focusing, or generally behaving like they've never heard of dignity. There's warmth in the phrase though — clowning about is rarely mean-spirited, just annoying to anyone trying to get something done.
We were supposed to be packing boxes but they spent the whole afternoon clowning about with the bubble wrap.
Comments
(UK) To have fun in an irresponsible manner.
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "clown about".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "clown about" (C)
Browse all slang words starting with C.