Urban Dictionary has three definitions for “furtle” and I wouldn’t say any of them are right. To me furtle is a smursh of bimble and furtive. To furtively bimble. Although I have to admit it’s not a term I’ve ever knowingly used. Jez knowingly uses it here and I’m not sure he’s right either.
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About this site
In June 2000 I started blogging at peteashton.com and 10 years later in June 2010 I decided to stop. Blogging here, that is. I started a clean slate over on I Am Pete Ashton and maintain all manner of other web presences which are all listed here along with my contact details.
You probably came here via a Google search or from following a link on some old blog post somewhere. I hope what you find is useful in some way, though do check the publication date - it might be rather old now.
Thanks for your eyeballs.
Pete Ashton
Your version makes a lot of sense but I think I’d only ever thought of it before as pretty much a straight synonym for bimble (without the furtiveness). But if that’s right then it’s kind of superfluous as bimble’s already there for that and doing a fine job. So you’ve talked me round.
Also bravo for “smursh” rather than messing about with talk of “portmanteau words”.
Smursh is easier to spell, although smursh itself is a smursh of smash and merge. It’s all very.
Why bimble when you can potter?
Your web site looks very nice now, by the way. Almost like you found it in a skip.
Pottering is somewhat more proactive. Like you’re pottering for something, however inconsequential. “Pottering around the garden” implies low-level weeding and tendering of roses. “Bimbling around the garden” could involve anything or nothing at all. “Furtling around the garden” should only be attempted with high walls and no overlooking windows.
I think bimbling around the garden involves soft drugs, doesn’t it? I’d classify furtling as like rooting or farting — crude in context, but equaly likely to be an any-activity word.
Furtle is like footle, but slightly more active. It’s nothing to do with bimbling, which is ambulatory.
Footle?
Ah, Footle. Right.