busman's holiday

English

Etymology

First recorded in 1893 in the UK. The idea is that a busman, to go off on a holiday, would take an excursion by bus, thereby engaging in a similar activity to his work.

Noun

busman's holiday (plural busman's holidays)

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

References

“Busman's holiday” in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, 2004, →ISBN.

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