Larking about

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

To lark about is to play around; to frolic; to go on a spree. The main word seems inappropriate until one realises that it comes from the Middle English 'laik', to play, and the Old English 'lac', a contest. To Skylark is a modern extension.