beaver

(as) busy as a beaver (building a new dam)

Very busy, assiduous, or hardworking. The phrase refers to beavers' reputation for being extremely industrious. Between working two part-time jobs, volunteering on the weekends, and looking after his little brother, Sam's been busy as a beaver this summer. I've been as busy as a beaver building a new dam this year. I've had almost no free time!

beaver

vulgar slang A woman's genitals and/or pubic hair.

beaver away

To work industriously and at great length at some task, project, or goal. Likened to a beaver working ceaselessly on a dam. She's been beavering away for years to earn her law degree, and after all that work, she finished first in her class. I brought you some lemonade, since you've been beavering away planting flowers in the back yard all day!

beaver-cleaver

vulgar slang A penis. "Beaver Cleaver" was a character on the 1950s TV show Leave It to Beaver. "Beaver" is also a slang term for the vagina. Hey, I don't want to see your beaver-cleaver—pull up your pants!

busy beaver

A very busy, assiduous, or hardworking person. Taken from the phrase "busy as a beaver," referring to beavers' reputation for being extremely industrious. Between working two part-time jobs, volunteering on the weekends, and looking after his little brother, Sam's been a busy beaver this summer.

busy little beaver

A very busy, assiduous, or hardworking person. Taken from the phrase "busy as a beaver," referring to beavers' reputation for being extremely industrious. Between working two part-time jobs, volunteering on the weekends, and looking after his brother, Sam's been a busy little beaver this summer.

eager beaver

One who is industrious and enthusiastic (perhaps annoyingly so). Give that big project to the new girl, she's a real eager beaver. Aren't you an eager beaver, getting to the office an hour early.

See also: beaver, eager

work like a beaver

To work very intently, persistently, and assiduously. A reference to beavers' reputation of being extremely industrious. I worked like a beaver the entire summer after high school to earn enough cash to buy my first guitar. The kids are all working like beavers to get the pageant ready in time.

See also: beaver, like, work

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*busy as a beaver (building a new dam)

and *busy as a bee; *busy as a one-armed paperhanger; *busy as Grand Central Station; *busy as a cat on a hot tin roof; *busy as a fish peddler in Lent; *busy as a cranberry merchant (at Thanksgiving); *busy as popcorn on a skillet

very busy. (*Also: as ~.) My boss keeps me as busy as a one-armed paperhanger. I don't have time to talk to you. I'm as busy as a beaver. When the tourist season starts, this store is busy as Grand Central Station. Sorry I can't go to lunch with you. I'm as busy as a beaver building a new dam. Prying into other folks' business kept him busy as popcorn on a skillet.

eager beaver

someone who is very enthusiastic; someone who works very hard. New volunteers are always eager beavers. The young assistant gets to work very early. She's a real eager beaver.

See also: beaver, eager

work like a beaver

and work like a mule; work like a horse; work like a slave

Fig. to work very hard. She has an important deadline coming up, so she's been working like a beaver. You need a vacation. You work like a slave in that kitchen. I'm too old to work like a horse. I'd prefer to relax more.

See also: beaver, like, work

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

busy as a beaver

Also, busy as a bee. Hardworking, very industrious, as in With all her activities, Sue is always busy as a bee, or Bob's busy as a beaver trying to finish painting before it rains. The comparison to beavers dates from the late 1700s, the variant from the late 1300s. Also see eager beaver; work like a beaver.

eager beaver

An exceptionally zealous person, one who habitually takes on more tasks or works harder than others. For example, Bill is a real eager beaver, always volunteering to stay late. This expression became especially popular during World War II, applied to recruits anxious to impress their commanding officers by such behavior. [First half of 1900s]

See also: beaver, eager

work like a beaver

Also, work like a dog or horse or Trojan . Work very energetically and hard, as in She worked like a beaver to clean out all the closets, or I've been working like a dog weeding the garden, or He's very strong and works like a horse. The first of these similes is the oldest, first recorded in 1741; the variants date from the second half of the 1800s. Also see work one's fingers to the bone.

See also: beaver, like, work

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

an eager beaver

INFORMAL

If you describe someone as an eager beaver, you mean that they are very enthusiastic about work and want very much to please other people. There are always eager beavers, people who stay behind after the talk to ask penetrating questions. Ed was the first to arrive at the office, the eager beaver! Note: Eager-beaver can also be used before a noun. If fraud became an issue, he might interest an eager-beaver lawyer in the case. Note: You usually use these expressions to show that you find someone's behaviour foolish or annoying. Note: Beavers are often associated with hard work, as they spend a lot of time building shelters and dams (= walls across rivers) out of mud and wood.

See also: beaver, eager

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

work like a beaver

work steadily and industriously. informal

The beaver is referred to here because of the industriousness with which it constructs the dams necessary for its aquatic dwellings. The image is similarly conjured up by the phrase beaver away meaning ‘work hard’.

See also: beaver, like, work

an eager beaver

a person who is very enthusiastic about work. informal

See also: beaver, eager

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

an eager ˈbeaver

(informal) a person who is enthusiastic about work, etc: She always starts work early and leaves late. She’s a real eager beaver.

See also: beaver, eager

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

beaver

1. n. the female genitals. (Usually objectionable.) He thought he could see her beaver through her swimming suit.

2. n. women considered as receptacles for the penis. (Rude and derogatory.) He devoted most of his teen years to dreaming about beaver.

beaver-cleaver

n. the penis. (see also beaver. Also a play on Beaver Cleaver the lead character in the old television show, Leave It to Beaver.) He seemed proud of his beaver-cleaver, as he called it. No one knew why.

eager-beaver

n. a person who is very eager to do something. Rocko is an eager-beaver when it comes to collecting money for Mr. Big.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

busy as a beaver/bee

Extremely industrious. The proverbial comparison to bees dates from Chaucer’s time. The one to beavers is newer, going back only to the seventeenth century; it also is put as works like a beaver and eager beaver. Among more recent proverbial comparisons for being busy, which liken it more to nervous overactivity than ambitiousness, is busy as a one-armed paperhanger, an Americanism dating from about 1910.

eager beaver

An overzealous or extremely ambitious individual. The beaver has been known as an especially hard worker since at least the seventeenth century, on a par with busy as a bee. It was only in the twentieth century that this not-quite-rhyming expression gained currency. It was widely used for overzealous recruits during World War II who chronically disobeyed the unwritten rule, Never volunteer, and rapidly became a cliché.

See also: beaver, eager

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

See also:

(as) busy as a beaver (building a new dam)
building
busy as a beaver
dam
busy beaver
busy little beaver
work like a beaver
work like a Trojan
I don't have time to breathe
I don't have time to catch my breath

References in periodicals archive

New research from the Faculty of Natural Sciences has provided further support to previous work that has shown beavers have an important impact on the variety of plant and animal life.

University of Stirling: Beaver reintroduction key to solving freshwater biodiversity crisis

There was a second swimming head, this time the head of a beaver. This, I told myself, is getting ridiculous.

It's high noon on the Earn as otters and beavers come face to face; As species are reintroduced to the wild, they have to learn to live side by side with our native creatures

"The beaver was shot and could be proven to have suffered significantly before being killed.

Pregnant beaver suffers in agony after being shot; Wildlife: Probe after protected animal killed

Tory MSPs were this week accused of attempts to block legal protections for beavers.

Green MSP slams Tories for trying to ditch beaver protections

Throughout this read he's in the armpits of scientists and citizens eager to restore the North American beaver, Castor canadensis, to its native landscape.

A Paean to Nature's Engineers

It seems the people of Scotland love beavers and want to see them thrive in the countryside.

Jonny Hughes: Just back from extinction, beavers are now being killed

Busy Beaver got right to work on a social media campaign to engage the community in naming the zoo's beavers.

A Beaver by Any Other Name

Not even the mightiest rodent is capable of solving all those crises, but rejuvenated beaver populations could still make a significant dent in many ecological problems.

How beavers will benefit British ecosystems: Ben Goldfarb's Eager: the Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter (Chelsea Green Publishing [pounds sterling]18.99) is available now

The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb details the multitude of ways beavers impact the landscape.

EAGER

Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb's lively and educational Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter shows why beavers should be respected as "ecosystem engineers."

Eager; The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter

Frank Howie, chairman of Cornwall Wildlife Trust's conservation strategy committee, said: "This clearly shows the beavers are in their element and all their hard work making a new home was for a very good reason."

First beavers born in Cornwall for 400 years

In fact the beavers the charity is referring to are those printed on its new "I Love Welsh Beaver" mugs and coasters.

Cheeky beaver fundraiser sails close to the wind

Middle East's leading construction conglomerate Beaver Gulf Group and its long-term Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution partner ePROMIS announced the project sign-off and completion of a major ERP software upgrade at Beaver Gulf.

Beaver Gulf upgrades to latest ePROMIS ERP edition for construction industry

The American beaver (Castor canadensis, hereafter, beaver) is regarded as a choosy generalist, meaning that while the diet might include a large number of different plant species, only a few species make up the bulk of the diet (Jenkins, 1975; Jenkins and Busher, 1979; Novak, 1999).

Habitat and forage selection by the American beaver (Castor Canadensis) on a regulated river in the Chihuahuan desert

词组	beaver
释义	beaver (as) busy as a beaver (building a new dam) Very busy, assiduous, or hardworking. The phrase refers to beavers' reputation for being extremely industrious. Between working two part-time jobs, volunteering on the weekends, and looking after his little brother, Sam's been busy as a beaver this summer. I've been as busy as a beaver building a new dam this year. I've had almost no free time! See also: beaver, busy, new beaver vulgar slang A woman's genitals and/or pubic hair. beaver away To work industriously and at great length at some task, project, or goal. Likened to a beaver working ceaselessly on a dam. She's been beavering away for years to earn her law degree, and after all that work, she finished first in her class. I brought you some lemonade, since you've been beavering away planting flowers in the back yard all day! See also: away, beaver beaver-cleaver vulgar slang A penis. "Beaver Cleaver" was a character on the 1950s TV show Leave It to Beaver. "Beaver" is also a slang term for the vagina. Hey, I don't want to see your beaver-cleaver—pull up your pants! busy beaver A very busy, assiduous, or hardworking person. Taken from the phrase "busy as a beaver," referring to beavers' reputation for being extremely industrious. Between working two part-time jobs, volunteering on the weekends, and looking after his little brother, Sam's been a busy beaver this summer. See also: beaver, busy busy little beaver A very busy, assiduous, or hardworking person. Taken from the phrase "busy as a beaver," referring to beavers' reputation for being extremely industrious. Between working two part-time jobs, volunteering on the weekends, and looking after his brother, Sam's been a busy little beaver this summer. See also: beaver, busy, little eager beaver One who is industrious and enthusiastic (perhaps annoyingly so). Give that big project to the new girl, she's a real eager beaver. Aren't you an eager beaver, getting to the office an hour early. See also: beaver, eager work like a beaver To work very intently, persistently, and assiduously. A reference to beavers' reputation of being extremely industrious. I worked like a beaver the entire summer after high school to earn enough cash to buy my first guitar. The kids are all working like beavers to get the pageant ready in time. See also: beaver, like, work Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. busy as a beaver (building a new dam) and busy as a bee; busy as a one-armed paperhanger; busy as Grand Central Station; busy as a cat on a hot tin roof; busy as a fish peddler in Lent; busy as a cranberry merchant (at Thanksgiving); busy as popcorn on a skillet very busy. (Also: as ~.) My boss keeps me as busy as a one-armed paperhanger. I don't have time to talk to you. I'm as busy as a beaver. When the tourist season starts, this store is busy as Grand Central Station. Sorry I can't go to lunch with you. I'm as busy as a beaver building a new dam. Prying into other folks' business kept him busy as popcorn on a skillet. See also: beaver, busy eager beaver someone who is very enthusiastic; someone who works very hard. New volunteers are always eager beavers. The young assistant gets to work very early. She's a real eager beaver. See also: beaver, eager work like a beaver and work like a mule; work like a horse; work like a slave* Fig. to work very hard. She has an important deadline coming up, so she's been working like a beaver. You need a vacation. You work like a slave in that kitchen. I'm too old to work like a horse. I'd prefer to relax more. See also: beaver, like, work McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. busy as a beaver Also, busy as a bee. Hardworking, very industrious, as in With all her activities, Sue is always busy as a bee, or Bob's busy as a beaver trying to finish painting before it rains. The comparison to beavers dates from the late 1700s, the variant from the late 1300s. Also see eager beaver; work like a beaver. See also: beaver, busy eager beaver An exceptionally zealous person, one who habitually takes on more tasks or works harder than others. For example, Bill is a real eager beaver, always volunteering to stay late. This expression became especially popular during World War II, applied to recruits anxious to impress their commanding officers by such behavior. [First half of 1900s] See also: beaver, eager work like a beaver Also, work like a dog or horse or Trojan . Work very energetically and hard, as in She worked like a beaver to clean out all the closets, or I've been working like a dog weeding the garden, or He's very strong and works like a horse. The first of these similes is the oldest, first recorded in 1741; the variants date from the second half of the 1800s. Also see work one's fingers to the bone. See also: beaver, like, work The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. an eager beaver INFORMAL If you describe someone as an eager beaver, you mean that they are very enthusiastic about work and want very much to please other people. There are always eager beavers, people who stay behind after the talk to ask penetrating questions. Ed was the first to arrive at the office, the eager beaver! Note: Eager-beaver can also be used before a noun. If fraud became an issue, he might interest an eager-beaver lawyer in the case. Note: You usually use these expressions to show that you find someone's behaviour foolish or annoying. Note: Beavers are often associated with hard work, as they spend a lot of time building shelters and dams (= walls across rivers) out of mud and wood. See also: beaver, eager Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. work like a beaver work steadily and industriously. informal The beaver is referred to here because of the industriousness with which it constructs the dams necessary for its aquatic dwellings. The image is similarly conjured up by the phrase beaver away meaning ‘work hard’. See also: beaver, like, work an eager beaver a person who is very enthusiastic about work. informal See also: beaver, eager Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary an eager ˈbeaver (informal) a person who is enthusiastic about work, etc: She always starts work early and leaves late. She’s a real eager beaver. See also: beaver, eager Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary beaver 1. n. the female genitals. (Usually objectionable.) He thought he could see her beaver through her swimming suit. 2. n. women considered as receptacles for the penis. (Rude and derogatory.) He devoted most of his teen years to dreaming about beaver. beaver-cleaver n. the penis. (see also beaver. Also a play on Beaver Cleaver the lead character in the old television show, Leave It to Beaver.) He seemed proud of his beaver-cleaver, as he called it. No one knew why. eager-beaver n. a person who is very eager to do something. Rocko is an eager-beaver when it comes to collecting money for Mr. Big. McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions busy as a beaver/bee Extremely industrious. The proverbial comparison to bees dates from Chaucer’s time. The one to beavers is newer, going back only to the seventeenth century; it also is put as works like a beaver and eager beaver. Among more recent proverbial comparisons for being busy, which liken it more to nervous overactivity than ambitiousness, is busy as a one-armed paperhanger, an Americanism dating from about 1910. See also: beaver, bee, busy eager beaver An overzealous or extremely ambitious individual. The beaver has been known as an especially hard worker since at least the seventeenth century, on a par with busy as a bee. It was only in the twentieth century that this not-quite-rhyming expression gained currency. It was widely used for overzealous recruits during World War II who chronically disobeyed the unwritten rule, Never volunteer, and rapidly became a cliché. See also: beaver, eager The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: (as) busy as a beaver (building a new dam) building busy as a beaver dam busy beaver busy little beaver work like a beaver work like a Trojan I don't have time to breathe I don't have time to catch my breath References in periodicals archive New research from the Faculty of Natural Sciences has provided further support to previous work that has shown beavers have an important impact on the variety of plant and animal life. University of Stirling: Beaver reintroduction key to solving freshwater biodiversity crisis There was a second swimming head, this time the head of a beaver. This, I told myself, is getting ridiculous. It's high noon on the Earn as otters and beavers come face to face; As species are reintroduced to the wild, they have to learn to live side by side with our native creatures "The beaver was shot and could be proven to have suffered significantly before being killed. Pregnant beaver suffers in agony after being shot; Wildlife: Probe after protected animal killed Tory MSPs were this week accused of attempts to block legal protections for beavers. Green MSP slams Tories for trying to ditch beaver protections Throughout this read he's in the armpits of scientists and citizens eager to restore the North American beaver, Castor canadensis, to its native landscape. A Paean to Nature's Engineers It seems the people of Scotland love beavers and want to see them thrive in the countryside. Jonny Hughes: Just back from extinction, beavers are now being killed Busy Beaver got right to work on a social media campaign to engage the community in naming the zoo's beavers. A Beaver by Any Other Name Not even the mightiest rodent is capable of solving all those crises, but rejuvenated beaver populations could still make a significant dent in many ecological problems. How beavers will benefit British ecosystems: Ben Goldfarb's Eager: the Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter (Chelsea Green Publishing [pounds sterling]18.99) is available now The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb details the multitude of ways beavers impact the landscape. EAGER Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb's lively and educational Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter shows why beavers should be respected as "ecosystem engineers." Eager; The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter Frank Howie, chairman of Cornwall Wildlife Trust's conservation strategy committee, said: "This clearly shows the beavers are in their element and all their hard work making a new home was for a very good reason." First beavers born in Cornwall for 400 years In fact the beavers the charity is referring to are those printed on its new "I Love Welsh Beaver" mugs and coasters. Cheeky beaver fundraiser sails close to the wind Middle East's leading construction conglomerate Beaver Gulf Group and its long-term Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution partner ePROMIS announced the project sign-off and completion of a major ERP software upgrade at Beaver Gulf. Beaver Gulf upgrades to latest ePROMIS ERP edition for construction industry The American beaver (Castor canadensis, hereafter, beaver) is regarded as a choosy generalist, meaning that while the diet might include a large number of different plant species, only a few species make up the bulk of the diet (Jenkins, 1975; Jenkins and Busher, 1979; Novak, 1999). Habitat and forage selection by the American beaver (Castor Canadensis) on a regulated river in the Chihuahuan desert
随便看	put (one) through the mangle put (one) through the mill put (one) through the wringer put (one) through (to someone) put (one) to a lot of expense put (one) to bed with a shovel put (one) to death put (one) to flight put (one) to great expense put (one) to sleep put (one) to the expense of (doing) (something) put (one) to work put (one) under put (one) under the cosh put (one) under the pump put (one) up against (someone) put (one) up for (something) put (one) up to (something) nope no peace for the wicked no person is free who is not master of himself no (person) worth their salt would (do something) no picnic no plan survives contact with the enemy no point in