potter vs mess around

potter is a noun but mess around is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
potter	Yes	No	Yes	No
mess around	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, potter and mess around are synonyms defined as:

potter and mess around: do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly

Other synonyms of potter include monkey, monkey around, muck about, muck around, putter, tinker.

potter (noun)	mess around (noun)
a craftsman who shapes pottery on a potter's wheel and bakes them in a kiln

potter (verb)	mess around (verb)
move around aimlessly	do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly
do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly
work lightly