Having a lot of work to do; someone who is busy.
The Origin of ‘As Busy As a Bee’
This phrase likely originates from something that bees are known for: being hard workers. Bees are indeed busy little insects. Doing what, you ask?
Pollinating plants, for one! In order to reproduce, many plants actually depend on bees for pollination. How so? For a flower to reproduce, the stamen (the male organ of a flower) has to produce pollen, and then that pollen needs to get to the stigma of the pistil (the female organ of a flower). How does the pollen get there?
Bees! When a bee lands on a flower, the pollen sticks to the hairs of its body. Then, when the bee lands on another flower of the same type, the pollen makes contact with the stigma of the flower, and thus pollination occurs. So while bees are buzzing around from plant to plant, they’re doing quite a bit of work—busy bees indeed!
In addition, bees collect nectar (a sugary liquid that flowers produce) and use it to make honey. And did I mention they also have to build hives to live in? Alright, you get it, they have a lot of work to do.
Anyway, how old is this saying? It goes back to at least the 14th century. A man named Geoffrey Chaucer was the author of a book called The Canterbudy Tales, which is believed to have been written between the years 1387 and 1400. There is a part from the book that reads:
“In wommen been! for ay as bisy as bees.”
Here are two examples of this idiom in a sentence. The second example is a shortened form of this phrase:
- I should get a good night’s sleep, because I am going to be as busy as a bee tomorrow.
- I’m going to be a busy bee this morning.