grand (redirected from grandness)

*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.

See also: beaver, busy

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in the grand/great scheme of things

if you say that in the grand scheme of things something is not important, you mean that it is not important when compared to much more serious things In the grand scheme of things, whether another actress has her navel pierced is not really that significant.

See also: scheme, thing

the grand old man of something   (humorous)

a man who has been involved in a particular activity for a long time and is known and respected by a lot of people It was in this play that he formed a double act with that other grand old man of the Berlin theatre, Bernhard Minetti.

See in the grand scheme of things

See also: man, old