English Reference
Idiom idiom

busy as a nailer


working constantly.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

I cannot talk right now because I am busy as a nailer.

CONTEXTUAL

The restaurant was packed on Friday night, and the kitchen staff were busy as a nailer to keep up with orders.

COMPLEX

Throughout the entire harvest season, the farmers were as busy as a nailer, laboring from dawn until dusk to gather the crops before the winter frost arrived.


Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    busy as a bee

    Very active; working constantly.

  2. 02

    busy work

    Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.

  3. 03

    get busy

    To have sex.

  4. 04

    keep someone busy

    To ensure that someone's attention is occupied, often to prevent them from becoming bored or noticing something.

Last updated August 10, 2026