# busman's holiday

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/busmans-holiday
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A holiday or vacation during which one does something similar to what one does as work.

## Examples

- For a busman's holiday, the chef cooked dinner at the beach house.
- The mechanic fixes his friend's car on a busman's holiday.
- A pilot flies a small plane for fun on a busman's holiday.
- The teacher spent her summer break tutoring her niece, which felt like a busman's holiday.
- The professional gardener spent his entire week off pulling weeds and planting flowers in his own backyard, turning his vacation into a busman's holiday.
- After a long year of writing news reports, the journalist spent her winter break finishing a novel, which felt like a busman's holiday.
- The architect, unable to stop designing, found himself sketching floor plans during his Mediterranean cruise — a true busman's holiday that his wife found both amusing and exhausting.

## Origin

From *busman* + *-’s* + *holiday*. The term derives from the notion of a bus driver choosing to spend his leisure time by taking an excursion on a bus or embarking on a long drive. He would thereby engage in an activity nearly identical to his professional duties.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.