He piddled around for years before…

After piddling around in the civil police for five years, his real career started when he came to crime branch.

You should do something concrete to acquire better English speaking skills instead of piddling around with American teenagers on chat.

Piddle around means do nothing or waste time in insignificant things (while the real big opportunities pass you by). If you waste your time on Facebook or listening to songs or watching movies instead of doing any productive work, you are piddling around.

Let’s take some examples:

1. “I am really worried about you son JP. You are always piddling around with kids, why don’t you ever go to your area and motivate people”, said a visibly upset Ramadhir.
2. You have spent five years piddling around in civil police. Now, in crime branch will your real career start.
3. So, the politicians are piddling around with IPL and other stuff while the farmers are committing suicides and women are getting raped across the country.
4. A district magistrate cannot afford to piddle around with school inaugurations while Naxalites run amok across the district.

It is a phrase of rebuke or disapproval. When you want to express your displeasure about someone doing stuff you feel is a waste of time, that’s when you would say he is piddling around.

Let’s close with some more examples:

1. You may think I am piddling around but I am actually doing an experiment to figure out the best material to make a magic bulb.
2. You call it piddling around? I am trying to figure out what to do with my life and it is the biggest question one can find answer to.
3. All your friends are losers and if you keep piddling around with Facebook like them, you would have nowhere to go after a year.
4. Daroga ji, why are you piddling around with this paper weight while just outside your office, people are burning shops and stoning buses.