be the business
To be exceptionally great, excellent, high-quality, or skillful. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. Have you ever tried the pistachio gelato at this place? It's the absolute business! I'm so crazy about the girl I've started seeing. I think she's the business, and I don't care who knows it! Wow, this singer is really the business, isn't she?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
the business
1. Verbal abuse, scolding, or teasing; also, a beating. For example, At boarding school new kids always get the business, or The boxer faked and then gave his opponent the business. [Slang; c. 1940]
2. A harsh interrogation, as in The detectives gave each suspect the business. [Slang; c. 1940]
3. Dismissal from work or jilting, as in Once the new management takes over I'm sure to get the business, or Dorothy gave him the business and married someone else. [Slang; c. 1940]
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.