Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) (also goof around, goof on, goof out) to fool (with); to play around.

1930–1		J.T. Farrell ‘Spring Evening’ in Fellow Countrymen (1937) 175: Don’t goof your grandpa!
1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 671: He was sorry he had goofed around with that Jackson bitch.
1951		Kerouac On the Road (The Orig. Scroll) (2007) 122: A dumb smiling goodnatured sort to goof along with.
1952		B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz in Amer. 351: Goof or goof off, to wander in attention, to fail to discharge one’s responsibility .
1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 112: Nobody goofed with the T’s.
1961		Kerouac letter 17 Oct. in Charters II (1999) 305: Well I aint got time to goof around all over the world with everybody even Buddha.
1961		T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) 19: [A]lthough I was goofing the mediumship thing at the moment, the talent was there, and sooner or later it would show itself.
1962		Kerouac letter 13 Sept. in Charters II (1999) 348: No, no, no I can’t goof on like this.
1977		(con. 1969) M. Herr Dispatches 245: He had been up goofing somewhere around Cu Chi, digging the big toys.
1980		National Lampoon Dec. 57: He liked to [...] ‘goof people out.’ He liked to put pet-store turtles in cafeteria soup [HDAS].
1981		M. Baker Nam (1982) 71: Guys would goof around with the young girls.
1985		E. Bogosian Talk Radio (1989) 69: Now you are goofing on me. Cut it out.
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 176: goof. [...] a person who [...] goofs up (as opposed to goofs around or goofs off, which is something that even smart people do when they waste time).
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 20: These weren’t your regular cops, your SFPD cracking wise and goofing with the girls.
1999		Guardian Rev. 2 July 13: The Beasties goof around like nerdy schoolkids.
2000		Indep. Rev. 10 Feb. 12: At the end of four minutes of sliding, slapping, goofing and horsing around, the place goes nuts.
2014		E. Hagelstein ‘Our Lady of Mercy’ in ThugLit Mar. [ebook] I thought it was Danny goofing around.

(b) (also goof around) to dawdle, to waste time, to avoid work; thus goofing n.; thus goof time, a period of relaxation.

1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 5: They goofed on their way home from school.
1953		F. Paley Rumble on the Docks (1955) 64: The gang had got torpid [...] He took the cigar from his mouth and got ready to give them hell for goofing.
1961		J.A. Williams Night Song (1962) 125: The cat goofed.
1967		J. Horton ‘Time and cool people’ in Trans-action 4 5/1: The dudes could be found when they were ‘laying dead’ — hanging on the corner, or shooting pool and ‘jiving’ (‘goofing’ or kidding around) in a local community project.
1991		in D. Schem Inside Separate Worlds 175: We would always go out on the nearest field and play football, basketball, Frisbee, or just goof around.
2003		Hubner & Wolfson Somebody Else’s Children 39: They dawdle and wander out of line; they goof around.

(c) (Aus./US) to gawk, to stare mindlessly, esp. at the television; thus goof box, a TV set.

1940		Times 23 July 2/4: Among other points of advice were: Go quickly to your shelter or refuge room; suppress your curiosity and don’t ‘goof’ .
1962		D. Powell Golden Spur (1991) 162: .
1971		Anyway, you didn’t goof when you saw me, so I forgive youE.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972).
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 67: The Iris Theatre ran a sneak peek of some 3D dog. The Googie geeks [...] goofed themsleves out of their gourds.

(d) (also goof it) to blunder, to make a mistake; thus goof oneself, to get into trouble.

1948		Hubie Wheeler [instrumental title] Just Goofin’.
1955		Kerouac letter 14 July in Charters I (1995) 495: Cowley goofed on that, overlooking my true need and bad foot.
1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 87: If Jake goofed? Naw, he could trust Jake.
1958		H. Ellison Web of the City (1983) 77: Look, don’t goof yourself with nobody, but if there’s anybody out to plank her, I’d like ta know.
1965		(con. 1944) E.M. Nathanson Dirty Dozen (2002) 155: Stuff like this is gonna goof it and you’re gonna be back beind the eightball.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 108: It had been the one rundown from the joint I’d goofed.
1976		A. Salkey Come Home, Malcolm Heartland 198: Well, we’ve goofed, at this end.
1987		T. Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities 175: I goofed [...] It was a stupid blunder.
1993		A. Rodriguez Spidertown (1994) 147: You gotta be adult enough to realize tha’chu goofed.
2000		Observer Rev. 13 Feb. 2: Oops, we goofed.

(a) to take drugs; thus goofing, under the influence of drugs; occas. drink.

1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 33: I got the horn stashed by Paddy Jenks, he likes I should play when he’s goofin.
1962		N. Algren Land of the Strange Light Sleep’ in Entrapment (2009) 217: Where the time is always a time for M or a time for H, a time to goof or a time to taper.
1966		J. Mills Panic in Needle Park (1971) 32: He was high on barbiturates, goofballs, GB’s. Barbiturates are sleeping pills, but taken excessively they may produce not sleepiness but a frighteningly unpredictable aggressiveness, such as Bob was displaying now. He was, in the junkies’ word, ‘goofing’.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 94: We’d get high and goof behind them [i.e. pop records].
1995		J. Stahl Permanent Midnight 348: We were goofing, but there was a real gravity to the process.

(b) thus fig. use, to be addicted to/obsessed with, usu. a person.

1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 149: I’m tired of her goofing over me.
1964		P. Marshall ‘Some Get Wasted’ in Clarke Harlem, USA (1971) 350: Man, how them simple chicks goofed behind that look. The stud didn’t even have to talk to ’em. Just looked and they was ready to give him some.

(c) to render someone into a state that approximates that which follows drug use.

1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 331: He was too hot with whisky [...] and sat there dry-mouthed, goofing at the lights he saw through the wall of trees.
1953		L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 5: The combo ‘goofs’ you with its last weird riff.

(d) (drugs) to relax, to go to sleep under the influence of drugs, usu. heroin.

1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 316: Baby, you goofing in the rain.
1964		Larner & Tefferteller Addict in the Street (1966) 129: I feel like getting a shot of drugs today [...] It will be nice, Carmen, to be goofing in that nice beautiful house.
1969		R.R. Lingeman Drugs from A to Z (1970) 104: goofing [...] sitting staring dreamily into space.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 162: I goofed out. I thought if it’s a spin, I’ve had a nice bitta gear, fuck ’em, I’m sweet.

(e) to become drunk.

1951–52

Kerouac Visions of Cody (1973) 6: Tonight they [i.e. ‘bums’] are not goofing in no alleys with rotgut.