fuck around and find out

English

Alternative forms

• FAFO

Verb

fuck around and find out (third-person singular simple present fucks around and finds out, present participle fucking around and finding out, simple past and past participle fucked around and found out)

1. (intransitive, slang, vulgar) To engage in a risky course of action, and then experience the negative consequences.
   • 2014, Keisha Ervin, Reckless 2: Nobody's Girl, page 22:

     “A'ight, you keep on waiting. She gon' fuck around and find out on her own”.

   • 2016, Corbin Reiff, “Jhené Aiko Calls Out Unfaithful Men on 'B's & H's'”, in Complex:

     Debuting on Soulelection's new Beats 1 program, the new track titled "B's & H's" was produced by Fisticuffs and is a sultry warning to any "bitches and hoes" who don't even know what they're in for with a guy who's "gonna fuck around and find out".

   • 2020, Mark Joseph Stern, “Unpacking Joe Biden's Court Packing Position”, in Slate:

     In essence, it was a dare to both Senate Republicans and the Supreme Court itself: fuck around and find out.

See also

• trial and error
• play stupid games, win stupid prizes
• get what's coming to one
• what goes around comes around
• you reap what you sow