如何使用作文主题的成语（主题一：关于忙碌的成语）How to use Idioms by Theme for Compositions (Theme 1: Idioms about being busy)

2022年9月28日，Emily Chia

The idioms in this theme all describe a situation when you are overwhelmed by a large amount of work that you have to do. Sometimes you have so much to do that you do not have time to do anything else.

up to your ears (or eyes)
rushed (or run) off your feet
as busy as a bee
a hive of activity
as busy as a beaver

1. up to your ears

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

You say that you are up to your ears when you have a great deal of work to do. The amount of work is so great that you are struggling to cope with it and really have no time to do other things. The idea behind the idiom is that work is piling up all around you so that it has reached the level of your ears.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

Up to your ears is a very common idiom, but it is rather informal. You should not use it in formal documents such as business letters. The idiom is often used to refer to paperwork.

I am up to my ears answering all the emails that arrived while I was on holiday.
The new product has a fault and staff in our office are up to their ears in replying to letters of complaint.

This expression is something used to refer to something other than work. This is often something unpleasant such as debt.

I don't think the shop will be able to stay open much longer because the owner is up to his ears in debt.

RELATED IDIOMS

A common related expression to up to your ears is up to your eyes. It is used in much the same way.

My mother is a teacher and she is up to her eyes in marking students' exam papers this week.

The expression up to your eyeballs sounds as though it would mean the same as up to your ears or up to your eyes and be used in the same way. However, it usually means that you are heavily involved in something, usually something unpleasant or wrong.

The family have a very luxurious lifestyle, but they are up to their eyeballs in debt.

2. rushed off your feet

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

If you are said to be rushed off your feet, you are extremely busy. The idea behind the idiom is that you have to move so fast to get everything done that you almost cannot stay on your feet.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

You must rushed off your feet to stress how busy someone is. You also use it to stress how hard and quickly they have to work to complete all their tasks. The idiom is often used to refer to someone who walks or moves around a lot in the course of their work. For example, it might be used to refer to waitresses or salespersons in shops.

The cafe is quiet at the moment. But we are bound to be rushed off our feet when coachloads of tourists arrive.
I have been rushed off my feet all morning because two of the other waitresses are sick.
At Christmas time all the postal workers are rushed off their feet trying to get all the cards and parcels delivered on time.
The shop is having a sale today. It has attracted so many customers that the shop owner is rushed off her feet.

RELATED IDIOMS

An idiom that is closely related to rushed off your feet is run off your feet. You can easily see that they are closely related because when you "rush", you often 'run' or walk quickly. The idiom run off your feet is used in much the same way and in much the same situations as rushed off your feet.

There have been far more visitors to the art gallery than usual because of the special exhibition. Our guides have been run off their feet showing people around.
There is a bad cold going around. Staff in the pharmacies have been run off their feet selling cold cures.

3. as busy as a bee

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

If you are said to be as busy as a bee, you are very busy or active. The expression is a simile. You can refer to someone as a busy bee.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

As busy as a bee is a very old and common expression. It is mostly used to refer to children's activities or to other light-hearted situations. You would not use it in a formal document.

The nursery school children were busy as bees painting pictures.
I have been a busy bee all morning cleaning the house ready for the party tonight.
The ice cream seller is as busy as a bee in summer but has very few customers in winter.

Bees are said to be busy because they work very hard during the summer to collect nectar from flowering plants to make honey.

RELATED IDIOMS

The idiom a hive of activity also refers to how hardworking bees are. It is used to refer to a place that is full of people who are very busy, as bees are in their hives.

We have just received an urgent order and the factory is a real hive of activity.
It is getting near Christmas and the shop has been a hive of activity all week.
The school is a hive of activity this evening because parents are coming in to talk to the teachers about their children's progress.

There is another creature that is regarded as being exceptionally busy and hardworking. This is the beaver and you can say as busy as a beaver or refer to someone as a busy beaver. Both of these are very much more common in American English than they are in British English.