holiday



all holiday

Ruined, bankrupt, or without work, as of a person, business, or organization. I hear that he showed up drunk to the board meeting on Friday. I'd say it's all holiday for him now.
See also: all, holiday

blind man's holiday

A phrase that refers to the inability to work at night (before electric light was common). It is a "holiday" because one cannot work when it is too dark to see. I don't mind that it gets dark so early in the winter because then we can go home earlier—it's a blind man's holiday! A: "What are you doing home so early?" B: "It's too dark to keep working so we got to take a blind man's holiday."
See also: blind, holiday

busman's holiday

A vacation that is spent engaging in an activity that is similar to what one does for work. As a museum curator, Leonard had a busman's holiday when he went to Paris to visit the Louvre.
See also: holiday

busman's holiday leisure

time spent doing something similar to what one does at work. (Alludes to a bus driver going on a bus tour for his vacation or on a day off.) Tutoring students in the evening is a busman's holiday for our English teacher. It's a bit of a busman's holiday to ask her to be wardrobe mistress for our amateur production in the summer. She's a professional dressmaker.
See also: holiday, leisure

hell on a holiday

Rur. a big commotion. (Use caution with hell.) It was hell on a holiday outside the stadium when the team won the big game. What's going on down on Main Street? Sounds like hell on a holiday!
See also: hell, holiday, on

a busman's holiday

time away from work that is spent doing something that is similar to your usual job Going to the beach is too much of a busman's holiday for him - he's a lifeguard!
See also: holiday

busman's holiday

Free time spent in much the same pursuit as one's work. For example, Weather permitting, the lifeguard spent all her days off at the beach-a real busman's holiday . The term alludes to a bus driver spending his day off taking a long bus ride. [Late 1800s]
See also: holiday

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
SteffenSHTE-fen (Low German)Low German, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch
Krzesimir-Polish
Koba-Georgian
OsborneAHZ-bornEnglish
Zviad-Georgian
Maytal-Hebrew