bee

put the bee on (someone)

To ask or pressure someone for a loan or donation of money. Primarily heard in US. Jane's good-for-nothing brother always comes around our place every couple of weeks to put the bee on us for a few bucks. The alumni association of my old university puts the bee on me once or twice a year looking for a donation.

queen bee

A woman who has authority or is in a dominant or favored position over her peers. An allusion to the (typically) lone egg-laying female of a bee colony. Martha fancies herself a queen bee after her promotion, but she's only an assistant supervisor. You'll have to ask the queen bee before you put through any more orders on the company card.

be (as) busy as a bee

To be very busy. I'm currently choreographing three plays, so I'm as busy as a bee. Can we meet next week instead? I'm busy as a bee right now.

bee in one's bonnet

a single idea or a thought that remains in one's mind; an obsession. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give one ~.) I have a bee in my bonnet over that cool new car I saw, and I can't stop thinking about it. I got a bee in my bonnet about swimming. I just wanted to go swimming all the time.

the birds and the bees

Euph. sex and reproduction. (See also .) My father tried to teach me about the birds and the bees. He's twenty years old and doesn't understand about the birds and the bees!

*busy as a beaver (building a new dam)

and *busy as a bee; *busy as a one-armed paperhanger; *busy as Grand Central Station; *busy as a cat on a hot tin roof; *busy as a fish peddler in Lent; *busy as a cranberry merchant (at Thanksgiving); *busy as popcorn on a skillet

very busy. (*Also: as ~.) My boss keeps me as busy as a one-armed paperhanger. I don't have time to talk to you. I'm as busy as a beaver. When the tourist season starts, this store is busy as Grand Central Station. Sorry I can't go to lunch with you. I'm as busy as a beaver building a new dam. Prying into other folks' business kept him busy as popcorn on a skillet.

put a bee in someone's bonnet (about someone or something)

Fig. to give someone an idea about someone or something; to urge someone to do something. Julie put a bee in my bonnet about a way to solve our money problems. Sam put a bee in my bonnet about having a party for Jane. He put a bee in my bonnet about Jane. I'm glad he put a bee in my bonnet.

have a bee in your bonnet

to talk a lot about something you think is important Martin has a bee in his bonnet about recycling.

be the bee's knees

(British & Australian informal)

to be extremely good Have you tried this double chocolate-chip ice cream? It's the bee's knees, it really is.

have a bee in your bonnet

to keep talking about something again and again because you think it is important, especially something that other people do not think is important (often + about ) She's got a real bee in her bonnet about people keeping their dogs under control.

the birds and the bees

(humorous)

if you tell someone, especially a child, about the birds and the bees, you tell them about sex My parents never actually sat down and told me about the birds and the bees.

be as busy as a bee

(old-fashioned) also be a busy bee (old-fashioned)

to be very busy or very active She's as busy as a bee, always going to meetings and organizing parties.

bee in one's bonnet

A strange idea or notion; also, an idea that is harped on, an obsession. For example, Bill's got a bee in his bonnet about burglars; he's always imagining strange noises. This term, which replaced the earlier have bees in one's head, transfers the buzzing of a bee inside one's hat to a weird idea in one's head. [Second half of 1600s]

birds and the bees, the

A euphemism for sex education, especially when taught informally. For example, It's time Father told the children about the birds and the bees. Cole Porter alluded to this expression in his witty song, "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," (1928) when he noted that birds, bees, even educated fleas fall in love. This idiom alludes to sexual behavior in animals to avoid explicit explanation of human behavior. [Second half of 1800s]

busy as a beaver

Also, busy as a bee. Hardworking, very industrious, as in With all her activities, Sue is always busy as a bee, or Bob's busy as a beaver trying to finish painting before it rains. The comparison to beavers dates from the late 1700s, the variant from the late 1300s. Also see eager beaver; work like a beaver.

a bee in (one's) bonnet

1. An impulse to do something; a notion.

2. An obsession.

bee's knees

Something that's excellent. This nonsensical phrase that was popular in the 1920s was, like “the cat's whiskers,” the equivalent of today's “really cool” or “it's amazing!” It went the way of such faddish expressions, which is to say, out.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Matild	-	Hungarian
ÓLavur	-	Faroese
Yumiko	yoo-mee-ko	Japanese
Cunobelinus	kyoo-no-bə-LIEN-əs (English)	Ancient Celtic
KÅRe	KOR-e (Swedish)	Norwegian, Swedish, Danish
Shawnee	shah-NEE	English (Modern)