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English Idioms


Holiday

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User since 2010
Posts: 4

6 Sept. 2010

Hi everybody, what do you think about holiday? Do you prefer winter holiday or the summer one? And what about different kind of holiday as one week of meditation, or something like that, have you never had a holiday different from others?

10 comments

  • User since 2008
    Posts: 588

    7 Sept. 2010

    the only special use of "holiday", that is an idiom I know is:


    to have a busman's holiday
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 588

    10 Sept. 2010

    I prefer always holiday to daily routine. Therefore I take every chance to go for a short or long holiday between some days or two weeks. So I have allways holidays different from others.
  • User since 2010
    Posts: 1

    16 Sept. 2010

    What does it mean :"to have a busman's holiday?
  • User since 2006
    Posts: 2715

    17 Sept. 2010

    I for one know what it means because I am busy all my holydays long, say, I am a "busy man" even on holiday.
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 588

    17 Sept. 2010

    I think a busman always drives buses with other people who are on holiday, but the busdriver has to work at this time.
  • User since 2006
    Posts: 2715

    20 Sept. 2010

    Thank you, Gwendo, for putting things right. Yes indeed, having a busman's holiday is spending one's holiday in practising one's usual occupation. That idiom has for sure been made up by alluding to the bus driver who drives its coach on holidays. Nothing to do with the root of 'busy'.


    It's a good thing for everyone, and first of all for me, the screwball, that there are clever, thoughtful and caring GGmates like Gwendo to prevent people from talking nonsense.
  • User since 2008
    Posts: 499

    21 Sept. 2010

    Wow, once again I've learned something. I hadn't known that idiom yet. 'a busmen's holiday'.


    Could also be 'a policemen's holiday', 'a nurses holiday', 'a fireman's holiday', a room maiden's holiday' - all those valiant people who keep things going while we're enjoying our spare time. It's high time we acknowlegded their work a little bit.
  • User since 2010
    Posts: 4

    3 Oct. 2010

    I prefer summer holidays for one reason:go back to my home country and enjoying the sun and the beach with my family.
  • User since 2010
    Posts: 19

    6 Oct. 2010

    "Businessman's holiday" is a common term used to described a vacation during which you are still working or doing things related to your work.

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