time bandit

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time bandit (plural time bandits)

1. (informal, idiomatic) Something or someone that consumes an inordinate amount of time, especially without achieving anything productive.
   • 1983, Mark Porter, The Time of Your Life, Victor Books (1983), →ISBN, page 101:

     The telephone can be as much of a time bandit as the drop-in visitor.

   • 2005, J. Allen Queen & Patsy S. Queen, The Frazzled Principal's Wellness Plan: Reclaiming Time, Managing Stress, and Creating a Healthy Lifestyle, Corwin Press (2005), →ISBN, page 88:

     Perfectionism is a time bandit that can rob you of extra time, lead you away from your priorities, and create emotional stress.

   • 2012, David Stam & Andrew Scott, Inside Magazine Publishing, Routledge (2014), →ISBN, page 124:

     Every member of the department can identify somebody inside or outside the department who is a time bandit: a person who is stealing their precious time.

• time burglar, time thief