busman's holiday

American  

noun

1. a vacation or day off from work spent in an activity closely resembling one's work, as a bus driver taking a long drive.

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busman's holiday British  

/ ˈbʌsmənz /

noun

1. informal a holiday spent doing the same sort of thing as one does at work

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busman's holiday Cultural  

1. A vacation during which a person engages in activity that is the same as or similar to his or her usual employment: “Our Spanish professor had a busman's holiday this year; she spent her entire vacation doing research in Spain.”

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busman's holiday Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of busman's holiday

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Sequestered with his family for 18 months in their 1955 cabin in Esopus, New York, he embarked on a long busman’s holiday.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2022

It’s a busman’s holiday for me, and also a secret research trip.

From Nature • Sep. 11, 2019

Next week I’ll be taking a busman’s holiday to London, where I’ll be devoting a full day to the National Theatre’s production of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2017

How can men write honestly about the bad behaviour of men, without it being a busman’s holiday for female readers?

From The Guardian • May 4, 2017

These were not a vacation from prison but a busman’s holiday.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• furlough
• sabbatical