peck at 字面是指「啄食」，雞或是鴿子撿飼料，也可以延伸為「潦草做事」、「三分鐘熟度」：

In the run-up to the final exam, Bobby was pecking at his books and handouts because he was bombarded by tons of reports and presentations.
期末考前，鮑比僅翻翻書和講義，因為他必須要趕書面及口頭報告，分身乏術。