tisonner

Senses

1. 1.

   to poke (a fire)

   to stir or prod a fire with a poker to make it burn better

2. 2.

   to fiddle with, to tinker with

   to meddle or busy oneself uselessly with something

Examples

• "Elle tisonne le feu pour le raviver."

  She pokes the fire to revive it.

• "Il passe son temps à tisonner des projets qui ne verront jamais le jour."

  He spends his time tinkering with projects that will never come to fruition.

• "Arrête de tisonner dans mes affaires!"

  Stop meddling in my business!

Usage

Tisonner comes from the noun tisonnier (poker, the tool). The primary sense is literal (poking a fire), but it is often used figuratively to mean to tinker, meddle, or busybody. It can carry a slightly negative connotation when used in the meddle sense.