Literal translation
to go looking at the miller's
Meaning
to be slow or idle in getting a task done
Explanation
To be slow or idle in front of a task, or to find oneself in a bind. The origin supposedly involves a certain Moulinari, a boat-refloating specialist between Marseille and Toulon: when a boat sank, someone went to fetch him and, in the meantime, did nothing. From Toulon to Marseille, saying of someone that he's looking for Moulinari means noting that he's doing nothing when there is work to be done. A variant turns him into an undertaker, whose client is never in a hurry.