# Find me the right word for this fruitless activity **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864 "2026-01-20T20:56:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/1 "2026-01-20T20:56:49Z")
I need the right word to describe a fairly specific action. Not ten minutes ago I wanted to eat a nice apple, so gave it a rinse and then peeled off the little sticker and held it over the kitchen top rubbish bag on the end of my forefinger, waggling it around. Of course it didn’t budge, so I used my thumb to pry it off, at which point it stuck to the end of that digit, flapping about like a little oval flag. So, back to the forefinger … In all there were about seven finger transfers before trying something else that eventually binned the little bastard. Find me the right word to describe this repetitive, somewhat stupid and lazy, frustrating, fruitless (how ironic in the circumstances) action. Doubtless, the Germans have a word longer than my kitchen bench for it, and I’d even accept that in translation. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/2 "2026-01-20T21:05:16Z")
Dithering comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/3 "2026-01-20T21:06:16Z")
If I could use two words, they would be ‘tedious drudgery’. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/4 "2026-01-20T21:06:44Z")
Inextricabling ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/5 "2026-01-20T21:16:05Z")
I don’t understand why you wouldn’t peel the label off first, so you can wash that little part of the apple. Maybe label perseverating? Doing the same thing over and over, even though it’s not effective? Sticky flicking? In German, stickenflicken 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/6 "2026-01-20T21:20:52Z")
Or fucking around with sticky flicking, or in German, stickenflickenficken. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/7 "2026-01-20T21:53:14Z")
Fuggling. Short for Finger Juggling. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/8 "2026-01-20T21:57:18Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Or fucking around with sticky flicking, or in German, stickenflickenficken. This is my fave. Tiny adjustment: “stickenflickenfickenfucken”? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/9 "2026-01-20T22:52:42Z")
Exasperation Finger ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/10 "2026-01-20T23:05:01Z")
It’s similar to running the vacuum cleaner over a recalcitrant piece of lint, repeatedly, picking it up, closely examining it, placing it back on the carpet, and resuming the dance. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/11 "2026-01-21T01:10:33Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > and resuming the dance. AFTER rewiring it for 220. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/12 "2026-01-21T01:32:41Z")
Ballplayers (and sometimes jugglers) speak of “bobbling” a ball that keeps getting away from them multiple times before they either successfully seize or drop it. Your sticker-bobbling is slower and less dynamic, but it seems like the same basic sort of inability to get the object in your hands to do what you want in repeated attempts. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/13 "2026-01-21T01:39:43Z")
Unflickating. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/14 "2026-01-21T01:55:28Z")
Is this dance like the wiggle, side to side when you’re pushing a cart in the narrow store aisle and meet another? I call that Buggy-dancing. Umm…sometimes I do it alone. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/15 "2026-01-21T02:44:57Z")
The process of working to get that sticker off of your finger should be called **flickulation**. (and once it has been worked out it has been flickulated) mmm ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/16 "2026-01-21T06:04:06Z")
I would just like to point out that the title of this thread is inappropriate. This activity can hardly be called “fruitless”. It all started with an apple.. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/17 "2026-01-21T07:15:25Z")
Adhesive looping. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/18 "2026-01-21T07:47:43Z")
Sisyphying? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/19 "2026-01-21T14:25:00Z")
Plus, of course, since they eventually succeeded it was fruitful: their whole and entire goal was achieved. Just not as quickly & conveniently as might be hoped for. On a more serious note, I agree with the wise @Kimstu that it’s a variant form of bobbling. Instead of trying back and forth to catch something that’s fighting you, in this case you’re trying to drop something that’s fighting you. I suppose we could spell it backwards to make the difference obvious. e.g. “The OP bbobled their sticker 5 times before getting it off their fingers and into the trash.”. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864/20 "2026-01-21T15:31:52Z")
I gotta boogie. I gotta boogie. I GOTTA boogie. I gotta boogie in my finger and I can’t get it off. /Weird Al [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-me-the-right-word-for-this-fruitless-activity/1026864.md?page=2)