INDEX:
busy/have a lot to do
1. a busy person
2. a busy time
3. not busy
busy place
4. a busy place
5. a time when a place is busy
6. a place that is not busy
7. a time when a place is not busy
busy/not available
8. busy
RELATED WORDS
when you do not have enough time to do something : ↑ TIME
see also
↑ WORK HARD
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1. a busy person
▷ busy /ˈbɪzi/ [adjective]
having a lot of things you should do :
▪ She’s very busy -- it’s her daughter’s wedding next week.
▪ Angela was becoming more and more unhappy, but her husband was too busy to notice.
▪ Not now Stephen, I’m busy.
busy doing something
▪ Critics say the mayor is too busy campaigning to do his job properly.
busy with
▪ She was busy with business matters so we decided not to burden her with our problems.
keep somebody busy
▪ He’s retired now, but his work for the youth club keeps him busy.
busily [adjective]
▪ The chefs were busily preparing hundreds of tantalizing dishes for the banquet.
▷ have a lot to do /hæv ə ˌlɒt tə ˈduːǁ-ˌlɑːt-/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have to do a lot of things, and need to hurry or work hard :
▪ I’m sorry I can’t talk -- I have a lot to do before my wife gets home.
an awful lot to do
used to emphasize you have a lot to do
▪ Let’s get started. We have an awful lot to do and not much time to do it.
▷ have a lot on British have a lot going on American /hæv ə ˌlɒt ˈɒn, hæv ə ˌlɒt gəʊɪŋ ˈɒnǁ-ˌlɑːt-/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be busy, especially because you have arranged to do a lot of things during a short period :
▪ He says he’ll try and see you as soon as possible, but he has a lot going on this afternoon.
▪ We’ve got so much on at work I couldn’t possibly go on holiday now.
▷ be rushed/run off your feet /biː ˌrʌʃt, ˌrʌn ɒf jɔːʳ ˈfiːt/ [verb phrase] especially British, spoken
to be very busy and always in a hurry, because you have a lot of things to do :
▪ It’s my son’s birthday party tomorrow. I’ve been absolutely rushed off my feet getting ready for it.
▪ All the sales assistants are run off their feet. The shop ought to take on more staff.
▷ be up to your ears/neck in /biː ˌʌp tə jɔːr ˈɪəʳz, ˈnek ɪn/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to be extremely busy because you have a lot of work to do in your job :
▪ I’m sorry I can’t talk to you now -- I’m up to my neck in paperwork.
▪ Teachers nowadays are up to their ears in administration and don’t have much time for teaching.
▷ be under (a lot of) pressure /biː ˌʌndər (ə lɒtǁlɑːt əv) ˈpreʃəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to be very busy, especially because other people are making you work hard, or because you have to do something by a particular time :
▪ Jerry says he’s under a lot of pressure at the moment from his boss.
work under pressure
▪ Some people don’t work well under pressure.
▷ be snowed under /biː ˌsnəʊd ˈʌndəʳ/ [verb phrase] especially British
to be extremely busy and hardly able to deal with all the work you have to do :
▪ Don’t expect any help from them -- they’re snowed under at the moment.
be snowed under with
▪ Since the hurricane, builders and roofers have been snowed under with work.
▷ be on the go /biː ɒn ðə ˈgəʊ/ [verb phrase] spoken
to be very busy for a period of time, especially when this makes you tired :
▪ I’ve been on the go all week -- I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend now.
▪ She’s always on the go. I don’t know how she does it.
▷ have your hands full /hæv jɔːʳ ˌhændz ˈfʊl/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be busy because you have to deal with a lot of different jobs or problems, so that you do not have time to do anything else :
▪ I’m sorry I can’t help you -- I have my hands full right now.
have your hands full with
▪ You must have your hands full with all this work to do and the children to look after.
have your hands full doing something
▪ The Mexican government had its hands full fighting a war on three fronts.
2. a busy time
▷ busy /ˈbɪzi/ [adjective]
▪ I’m going to bed. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.
▪ When you are in the police force, the night shift is always busiest.
▪ Restaurant managers often employ temporary staff at busy times of the year.
▷ full /fʊl/ [adjective usually before noun]
full day/morning/week etc
a day, morning etc in which you have arranged to do a lot of things :
▪ Tomorrow will be a very full day. You have several clients to see and two meetings in the afternoon.
▷ hectic /ˈhektɪk/ [adjective]
a time or situation that is hectic is extremely busy and you are always rushing and often excited or worried :
▪ It was really hectic at work today.
▪ He’d just returned from a hectic 10-day trip to New York.
▪ I know you have a hectic schedule, but could you pick something up for me on your way home?
▷ it’s all go /ɪts ˌɔːl ˈgəʊ/ British spoken
say this when you are very busy and have no time to relax, especially because a lot of things are happening :
▪ It’s all go around here this morning. Ten new orders, all marked "URGENT'.
3. not busy
▷ be not busy /biː nɒt ˈbɪzi/ [verb phrase]
▪ Let’s find a time when you’re not so busy, and talk about this calmly.
▪ Hopefully by March we won’t be so busy.
▷ not have much to do /nɒt hæv mʌtʃ tə ˈduː/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
to not be busy -- use this especially to say that you have enough time to do other things :
▪ I could help if you want -- I don’t have much to do this weekend.
4. a busy place
▷ busy /ˈbɪzi/ [adjective]
▪ Even though it was eight o'clock the market was still busy.
▪ Paris nowadays is a busy and crowded metropolis.
▪ The main road is busy, so be careful when you try to cross it.
▪ This is a very busy area, what with the school, the bus station, and the new shopping mall.
▷ lively /ˈlaɪvli/ [adjective]
a bar, restaurant, club etc that is lively is noisy and full of people who are enjoying themselves :
▪ We got to the disco at about 10 o'clock and it was already quite lively.
▪ It’s the liveliest bar in town, very popular with the tourists.
▷ bustling /ˈbʌslɪŋ/ [adjective usually before noun]
a bustling town, street, area etc is busy and noisy, with a lot of people walking about, going in and out of shops etc :
▪ The bustling downtown area of Chicago is dotted with massive new office developments.
▪ The old market is a busy, bustling place, full of local colour.
5. a time when a place is busy
▷ busy /ˈbɪzi/ [adjective]
▪ The morning is our busy time here. It’s quieter in the afternoon.
▪ July is our busiest month, when all the tourists come.
▷ hectic /ˈhektɪk/ [adjective]
extremely busy, so that you are always in a hurry, and often feel worried or excited :
▪ In the last hectic weeks before the show started we were practically living in the theatre to get it ready on time.
▪ There are two hundred guests arriving in one hour! That’s why things are so hectic!
▷ rush hour /ˈrʌʃ aʊəʳ/ [singular noun]
the time in the morning and evening when a lot of people are travelling to or from work at the same time :
▪ The rush hour in most British cities does not start until about 8 o'clock.
▪ The buses are so crowded during the rush hour, you never get a seat.
▷ peak /piːk/ [adjective only before noun]
the peak time or period is the time when shops, roads, trains etc are busiest :
▪ There should be more buses to cope with the extra passengers at peak times.
▪ We usually have two people working in the shop, but at peak periods we employ extra staff.
▪ In the peak month of July the market sold three hundred tons of melons a day.
▷ the rush /ðə ˈrʌʃ/ [singular noun]
a very busy time when a lot of people are shopping or travelling :
▪ Buy your tickets early and avoid the rush.
the Christmas/summer/weekend etc rush
▪ We’re building up our stocks of books and toys to get ready for the Christmas rush.
▷ the hustle and bustle /ðə ˌhʌs ə l ən ˈbʌs ə l/ [noun phrase]
when there are a lot of people moving around and doing things, especially in a busy town or city :
▪ Relax on the beach or enjoy the hustle and bustle of the busy fishing port.
▪ It’s hard to imagine that the park is only a few minutes’ walk from the hustle and bustle of midtown Manhattan.
▷ the season /ðə ˈsiːz ə n/ [singular noun]
the time of year when a tourist area is busy and a lot of people go there :
▪ The season begins in May, and most of the hotels open then.
▪ This place gets so crowded during the season. It’s much nicer in the winter when the tourists have gone.
in season
during the season
▪ Don’t travel to Benidorm in season. The hotels are crowded.
high season/low season
when a place is busiest or least busy
▪ They put their prices up considerably during the high season.
6. a place that is not busy
▷ quiet /ˈkwaɪət/ [adjective]
▪ The house is quiet now that the kids are gone.
▪ Madison Plains, Ohio, is a quiet community of 1200 inhabitants.
▷ sleepy /ˈsliːpi/ [adjective usually before noun]
a sleepy place, especially a small town or village, is never busy and very little happens there :
▪ Sticklepath is a sleepy little town right in the heart of the Devonshire countryside.
▪ It was a sleepy provincial hotel, not used to having more than two people staying there at any one time.
7. a time when a place is not busy
▷ quiet /ˈkwaɪət/ [adjective]
a quiet day, weekend etc is one in which there is very little business or activity and very few people :
▪ It’s been a very quiet morning so far. Only two people came in, and neither of them bought anything.
▪ Even on a quiet weekend there are plenty of people on the beach.
▪ This time of the year is always quiet. It gets busy again after winter.
▷ slow /sləʊ/ [adjective]
a slow period of time in a shop or business is one in which there are very few customers and there is very little business :
▪ Things have been slow, real slow, for months now.
▪ February is the slowest month in the tourist trade.
▷ off-peak /ˌɒf ˈpiːk◂/ [adjective] especially British
the off-peak time, period etc is the time when trains, hotels, tourist areas etc are not busy :
▪ At off-peak times senior citizens can use the sports centre at reduced rates.
▪ Take advantage of off-peak reductions for package holidays.
off-peak [adverb]
▪ If you can travel off-peak it will be cheaper and the trains will be less crowded.
▷ in the off-season also out of season British /ɪn ði ˈɒf ˌsiːz ə n, ˌaʊt əv ˈsiːz ə n/ [adverb]
if you go to a tourist area in the off-season or out of season, you go there during that part of the year when it is not busy and is usually cheaper :
▪ We had arrived in Biarritz out of season and most of the hotels were closed.
▪ If you go for a holiday in the off-season, you’ll find some real bargains.
during the off-season
▪ During the off-season, rates start at $75 per night for a cabin that sleeps two.
8. busy
▷ be busy /biː ˈbɪzi/ [verb phrase]
when you cannot do something because you have already arranged to do something else :
▪ ‘Can I speak to Nigel?’ ‘I’m sorry, he’s busy right now. Can he call you back later?’
▪ I kept asking her to come out for a drink but for some reason she was always busy.
▷ have something on /hæv ˌsʌmθɪŋ ˈɒn/ [verb phrase not in progressive] British spoken
to have already arranged to do something, for example to meet someone or to go to a party, so that you are unable to do something else that someone has invited you to do :
▪ Do you have anything on Saturday night?
▪ If you’re not doing anything tomorrow, you could come to the beach with us.
▷ not available /nɒt əˈveɪləb ə l/ [adjective]
if you are told that someone is not available when you ask to see them or to speak to them on the telephone, you cannot see them or speak to them because they are busy doing something else :
▪ I’m sorry, Mrs Evans isn’t available at the moment. Shall I get her to call you back?
▷ have a previous/prior engagement /hæv ə ˌpriːviəs, ˌpraɪər ɪnˈgeɪdʒmənt/ [verb phrase not in progressive] formal
to have already made a definite arrangement to do something, so that you cannot do something else -- used especially when you are replying to an invitation :
▪ I’ll just check her diary, she may have a prior engagement.
▪ Mr Lewis regrets that he is unable to attend, owing to a previous engagement.
▷ be tied up /biː ˌtaɪd ˈʌp/ [verb phrase]
to be busy in your job, for example because you have a lot of work to do or you have an important meeting, and therefore unable to do anything else :
▪ I’m sorry, he’s tied up at the moment. Could you call back later?
▪ I can’t see you tomorrow, I’m tied up all day.