holiday

a busman's holiday

slang A vacation in which one does an activity that is similar to one's job (as in the case of a bus driver, or "busman," who drives on his vacation). Because I'm a docent, visiting museums on vacation is like a busman's holiday for me. You're a pilot, so I'm curious—does taking a flight somewhere for vacation feel like a busman's holiday? No, I don't want to watch the kids while you guys go into town—that would be like a busman's holiday. I'd feel like I was back in my classroom wrangling preschoolers.

See also: 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. If you don't get your company's expenditures under control, it's going to be all holiday sooner than later! I wagered all I owned on that investment, so now it's all holiday for me.

See also: all, holiday

be in holiday mode

informal To be in a relaxed, carefree state resulting or as resulting from being on a break from work or school. Primarily heard in UK. The first week of school after the summer break is usually a write-off, as most students are still in holiday mode. A: "How's it going, Jim?" B: "Just trying to stay focused before I leave for Florida on Friday. I'm kind of in holiday mode already." I was so stressed out from work that it took me a couple of days on the beach before I was really in holiday mode.

See also: holiday, mode

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." The power went out at work today, so we got a blind man's holiday once the sun went down.

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. Once other travelers find out I'm a doctor, I'm almost immediately on a busman's holiday, fielding all kinds of medical questions and looking at all manner of rashes. Botanical gardens are beautiful, but when you're a landscaper, they're a bit of a busman's holiday, you know?

See also: holiday

get into holiday mode

informal To enter into a relaxed, carefree state resulting or as resulting from being on a break from work or school. Primarily heard in UK. A: "How's it going, Jim?" B: "OK, just trying to stay focused. I leave for Florida on Friday, so it's hard not to get into holiday mode yet." The last week of school before the summer break is usually a write-off, as most students have already gotten into holiday mode by then. I was so stressed out from work that it took me a couple of days on the beach before I really got into holiday mode.

See also: get, holiday, mode

go into holiday mode

informal To enter into a relaxed, carefree state resulting or as resulting from being on a break from work or school. Primarily heard in UK. A: "How's it going, Jim?" B: "OK, just trying to stay focused. I leave for Florida on Friday, so it's hard not to go into holiday mode yet." The last week of school before the summer break is usually a write-off, as most students have already gone into holiday mode by then. I was so stressed out from work that it took me a couple of days on the beach before I really went into holiday mode.

See also: go, holiday, mode

Happy (Holiday Name)!

A standard greeting and phrase of celebration on a particular holiday. Happy Fourth of July, everyone! A: "Good morning, my love. Happy Valentine's Day!" B: "Aw, thank you, you're so sweet. Happy Valentine's, sweetie." Three… two… one… Happy New Year's!

See also: happy

Happy Holidays

A nondenominational greeting used during the winter holiday season to encompass Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's Day, etc., without being specific. Thank you for shopping with us today. Happy Holidays! A: "Hey, Jim! Happy Holidays!" B: "Happy Holidays, Sarah. Any exciting plans this year?" I don't know if she's Jewish or not, so I told her "happy holidays" just to be on the safe side

See also: happy, Holiday

high days and holidays

Special occasions, festivities, or holidays. High days and holidays can be especially difficult for older people living on their own, so if you have an elderly friend or relative, pay them a visit today. On high days and holidays, the council building opens its doors and hosts a number of free activities for the public to enjoy. Now that I live 3,000 miles away from my family, I only see them on high days and holidays.

See also: and, days, high, holiday

holiday mode

informal A relaxed, carefree state resulting or as resulting from being on a break from work or school. Primarily heard in UK. A: "How's it going, Jim?" B: "OK, just trying not to slip into holiday mode before Friday." The first week of school after summer break is usually a write-off, as most students are still in holiday mode. I was so stressed out from work that it took me a couple of days on the beach before I was really in holiday mode.

See also: holiday, mode

in holiday mode

informal In a relaxed, carefree state resulting or as resulting from being on a break from work or school. Primarily heard in UK. The first week of school after the summer break is usually a write-off, as most students are still in holiday mode. A: "How's it going, Jim?" B: "Just trying to stay focused before I leave for Florida on Friday. I'm kind of in holiday mode already." I was so stressed out from work that it took me a couple of days on the beach before I was really in holiday mode.

See also: holiday, mode

into holiday mode

informal Into a relaxed, carefree state resulting or as resulting from being on a break from work or school. Primarily heard in UK. A: "How's it going, Jim?" B: "OK, just trying to stay focused. I leave for Florida on Friday, so it's hard not to slip into holiday mode yet." The last week of school before the summer break is usually a write-off, as most students have gone into holiday mode by then. I was so stressed out from work that it took me a couple of days on the beach before I really got into holiday mode.

See also: holiday, mode

on holiday

Spending time away from work or school, especially to travel some place for recreation. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. I am planning to be on holiday for two weeks in July, so if you need any help during that time you can contact my colleague Sarah. We're going to Disney World on holiday this summer!

See also: holiday, on

Roman holiday

An entertaining event, affair, or activity that relies on the exploitation, suffering, or failure of others. A metaphor taken from Lord Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, which refers to the practice of having gladiators fight to the death for the amusement of spectators. I think tabloids exist and flourish as a means of providing people with miniature Roman holidays. Being able to see celebrities at their absolute worst gives us a perverse feeling of satisfaction. I'll never understand the allure of boxing, watching two people beat each other half to death like we're on some sort of Roman holiday.

See also: holiday, roman

slip into holiday mode

informal A relaxed, carefree state resulting or as resulting from being on a break from work or school. Primarily heard in UK. A: "How's it going, Jim?" B: "OK, just trying to stay focused. I leave for Florida on Friday, so it's hard not to slip into holiday mode yet." The last week of school before the summer break is usually a write-off, as most students have already slipped into holiday mode by then. I was so stressed out from work that it took me a couple of days on the beach before I really slipped into holiday mode.

See also: holiday, mode, slip

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

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

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a busman's holiday

mainly BRITISH

If someone spends part of their holiday doing things they do in their normal job, you can say that they are having a busman's holiday. This is probably the best fish restaurant in the country — at least one admiring chef a week passes through the cheery dining room on a busman's holiday. A fire crew's Christmas outing turned into a busman's holiday when their coach caught fire. Note: This expression may refer to bus drivers at the beginning of the 20th century when buses were horse-drawn. Drivers sometimes spent their day off riding on their own bus to make sure that the relief drivers were treating the horses properly.

See also: holiday

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

a busman's holiday

a holiday or form of recreation that involves doing the same thing that you do at work.

From the late 19th century, a popular form of working-class recreation was to take an excursion by bus.

See also: holiday

high days and holidays

special occasions. informal

In the Church's calendar a high day was the day of an important festival. A holiday (originally holy day ) was similar but less specific. Holiday now refers to any day off, without any sacred significance, and so holy day is used if a specifically religious occasion is intended.

1998 Pamela Jooste Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter I was too busy looking out for all of you. I only danced on high days and holidays.

See also: and, days, high, holiday

a Roman holiday

an occasion on which enjoyment or profit is derived from the suffering or discomfort of others.

This expression comes from the poet Byron's description of the dying gladiator in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage as having been ‘butchered to make a Roman holiday’.

See also: holiday, roman

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

a busman’s ˈholiday

(informal) a holiday spent doing the same kind of thing that you do at work: The fire crew’s annual outing turned into a busman’s holiday when their bus caught fire. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the blaze.This phrase may refer to the drivers of horse-drawn vehicles in the 19th century. When they were not working, they often rode as passengers on their own buses to make sure that the replacement driver was treating their horses well.

See also: holiday

ˌhigh days and ˈholidays

festivals and special occasions: This 19th-century dish was traditionally made on high days and holidays, and is still often eaten at Christmas.

See also: and, days, high, holiday

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

busman's holiday, a

Free time spent doing the same as one does during working hours. Allegedly the expression comes from the days of horse-drawn buses, when a driver spent his time off traveling about on a bus driven by a friend. It dates from the late nineteenth century.

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer