bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

Idioms  

1. Eager and alert, as in Here is my new kindergarten class, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The allusion here is to the appearance of a squirrel, which with its beady eyes and bushy tail looks ready for anything. [1930s]

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Example Sentences

"I had no clue what was going on. I was just bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and thought whatever my manager suggested I'd roll with."

From BBC

All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, madly looking for ways to bake without crucial ingredients ...

From The Guardian

“It’s not saying we were looking for a little right-wing kid at all, it's more that we needed someone who was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and innocent and fun,” said Neal.

From Salon

You want to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for a day of watching tennis?

From BBC

“It was very discouraging. . . . We’re not all going to arrive back at work Monday bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”

From Washington Post

Related Words

• bouncy
• bright
• bubbly
• cheerful
• cheery
• jaunty
• lively
• sunny