Busman's holiday
Posted by Bruce Kahl on January 23, 2002
In Reply to: Busman's holiday posted by Leslie on January 23, 2002
: Anyone know the origin of "busman's holiday"? I know that it means doing for recreation what you normally do as your regular work. I was wondering where/where it was first used.
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]
The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust