Where Does the Term Ginning Around Come from?

It comes from the days when farmers took their cotton to the gin. If you've been busy doing simple stuff, especially if you're on your feet, you're ginning around.

What does gin around mean?

The idiom gin something up means to increase something, to get something going, to stir something up, to agitate or perhaps make a little trouble, sometimes through less than honest means.

What does the word gin mean in cotton gin?

The cotton gin, the word “gin” being an abbreviation of “engine”, is a machine that is used to pull fibers from their seeds. Those fibers can then be processed into various goods, while any undamaged material is used mostly for textiles like clothing.