awn of a wheat ear; trivial matter; internet slang: pretending to be busy
Meanings
3 senses · 7 examplesnoun
awn of a wheat ear
technicalA specific botanical term, not commonly used in everyday conversation.
The ripe wheat ear has sharp awns on it.
Farmers must be careful not to get pricked by the awns during harvest.
noun
trivial matter; minor detail
informalOften used metaphorically to describe insignificant or annoying details.
Don't argue over those trivial little matters.
He always loves to nitpick over minor details.
verb
to pretend to be busy; to engage in performative busyness
internetA modern, ironic internet slang term implying someone is putting on a show of being busy, often to avoid real work or to impress others.
He actually has nothing to do; he's just pretending to be busy in front of the computer.
Don't pretend to be busy during the meeting; we all know you're playing with your phone.
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This culture of performative busyness is quite common in some companies.