Larking about

Posted by Angri of 'Uddersfield on May 11, 2003

Can anyone shed any light on the origins of the phrase 'larking about' . .? It has several (UK) regional derivatives, 'Lakin' being just one.
Commonly used, 'Larking about' means to mess around (when one should be paying attention', but in the North of England it's also used by children to describe 'playing' andby adults to mean 'sciving' . . any help out there?
Thanks

• Larking about James Briggs 05/11/03
  • Larking about Lotg 05/14/03

See also: the meaning and origin of 'larking about'.