bustle about
1. To move quickly from place to place while trying to complete a task. Annabelle has been bustling about, cleaning the whole house and setting up all the guest rooms before her relatives come to visit. Can you stop bustling about for five minutes and tell me what's going on? The CEO is coming down for a meeting at 2:00, that's why we're bustling about and tidying things up!
2. To quickly move around some space or area while trying to complete a task. In this usage, the location is stated after "about." I spent the whole afternoon bustling about town, trying to get through my list of errands while the kids were at school. Why did I say I'd host the dinner party? I've been bustling about the kitchen all day, and there's still more to do! Hmm, I saw Al bustle about the file room earlier. Maybe he picked up the folder you're looking for.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bustle about doing something
to go about doing something busily and energetically. Greg bustled about all day, doing the chores. Lily bustled about, getting dinner ready.
bustle about some place
to move about some place very busily, or as if busy. They were all bustling about the kitchen, getting the feast ready. Veronica was bustling about outside, cleaning up the yard.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.