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horsing around

[ˈhɔːrsɪŋ əˈraʊnd]
verb (gerund/present participle)
brincadeira de mau gosto; comportamento travesso
1. Engaging in playful, mischievous, or silly behavior; joking around in a disruptive or annoying manner
Stop horsing around and pay attention to the lesson.
Parem de fazer brincadeiras e prestem atenção à aula.
2. Acting foolishly or joking in a way that wastes time or causes trouble
The kids were horsing around in the pool instead of doing their chores.
As crianças estavam brincando de forma descontrolada na piscina em vez de fazer seus afazeres.
NYC Slang
messin' around; foolin' around; clownin'
Synonyms
fooling aroundmessing aroundjoking aroundclowning aroundplaying the foolskylarking
Antonyms
being seriouspaying attentionworking hardconcentrating

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
fazendo brincadeira; zoando; palhaçada
Common in everyday speech
Rio de Janeiro
trolhando; fazendo graça
Casual, informal usage
São Paulo
brincando de forma descontrolada; zoação
Common in youth and casual contexts
Portugal
brincadeiras de mau gosto; estar a brincar
May also use 'andar aos saltos' in some contexts

Related Idioms & Phrases

cut the horsing around
stop horsing around
quit horsing around
no time for horsing around
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