wifty

Wifty describes someone whose attention keeps floating off before it arrives. You ask a question and get a pleasant answer to a different one. It is American, informal and milder than it sounds: a wifty person is not foolish or rude, just not quite tied down. Think of a balloon indoors: it stays in the room but never settles. A wifty explanation is one you follow for a sentence and a half before you are somewhere else.