putterings, 559-558, 555
to buddle, to waste time on little jobs;
fuss, to fiddle skinning twigs ₁
puttering about a disordered “Good
land, child! What brings ye here?” ₂
puttering around until the day is
ended ₃ doing chores. Why ? ₃
majoring only in minor purposes. this small ₃
spasmodic exercise (of little worth);
instead of planning ₃ — life well planned ₄ —
puttering without a sustained purpose; idling ₃ vacuity ₅
double loss, not moving, losing
what little ground gained; ₃ see now
how ₃ “If you didn’t waste your time puttering and inventing,
up in that rat’s nest of yours,” said Mrs. Riley,
“you’d keep better track of what goes on in these parts.” ₆
sources :
- from definition (authoritative) in Kate Riley, Ruth (2025) : 7 : link
- Anne Austin. The Black Pigeon (1929) : 222 / more at putterings 558
- The Power of High Purpose, by William H. Mikesell, Ph.D., (1961) : respectively seven of eight instances / more at putterings 555
- heard nearly every night, from corporate sponsor of CPB’s News Hour —
“A Raymond James financial advisor gets to know you, what shapes your life and what inspires your goals, then draws on powerful resources and teams of specialists to help you build a plan just as unique. That’s Life Well Planned.” : link
- ex Kate Riley, Ruth (2025) : 50 : link
current reading, very good.
- “Uncle Swithin Swaps Waffle Irons,” in Uncle Swithin’s Inventions, Story by Wheaton P. Webb, Drawings by Rounds (1947) : 70-84 (73) / more at putterings 559