The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Putter \Put"ter\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Puttered; p. pr. & vb.
n. Puttering.] [See Potter.]
To act inefficiently or idly; to occupy oneself in a
liesurely manner; to trifle; to potter; as, to putter around
in the garden.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
23 Moby Thesaurus words for "puttering":
coquetry, dabbling, dalliance, dallying, fiddling, flirtation,
fooling, fooling around, idling, jerking off, kidding around,
loitering, messing around, monkeying, monkeying around, piddling,
playing, playing around, pottering, smattering, tinkering, toying,
trifling