active duty

active duty

1. Current, full-time service in the military. My son is in the army, and I worry so much when he's on active duty.
2. By extension, full-time service in another area of life. I'm still on active duty until I retire at the end of the month.
See also: active, duty
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

active duty

Full-time service, as in Julian is 81, but he still comes to the office every day and is very much on active duty . This term comes from the military, where it stands in opposition to reserve, which refers to troops still in the military but not actively engaged. It is occasionally transferred to civilian matters as well. [First half of 1800s]
See also: active, duty
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • active
  • full of years
  • be full of (oneself)
  • full up
  • full circle, come
  • full of hot air
  • be full of beans
  • glass
  • seize the moment
  • on a full stomach
References in periodicals archive
Active duty troops will assist with aerial surveillance and provide operational, logistical and administrative support, and are meant to backfill the mission "due to a shortfall in volunteer National Guard personnel".
"For those coming off active duty, being a Reservist allows them the flexibility to pursue a civilian career or go to school full time," Bremner said, "while still being able to continue serving their nation and maintaining that camaraderie of being part of the military."
The Marine Corps Reserve employs of Marines who are currently on active duty to help 4th MAW reservists prepare for war.
Now, perhaps you're among those whose symptoms presented on active duty or within the seven-year period following, but for whatever reason you didn't obtain medical care.
Scott Magers, who entered the Corps in 1968 and retired from active duty in 1995, and his daughter, Eleanor Magers (later Eleanor Vuono), served on active duty at the same time at the Pentagon.
While the real cost of military compensation per active duty service member rose by 42 percent from 2001 to 2012, the active duty force grew by less than 1 percent.
He is now serving a three-year recall to active duty tour aboard USS Lassen (DDG 82), where he serves as the Disbursing and Sales Officer.
District Court in Eugene, Amos, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, admitted accepting active duty pay that the Army erroneously sent him for four years after he left active status.
VOMS allows mortgage servicers to quickly and accurately identify borrowers protected under the Service-members Civil Relief Act of 2003 (SCRA)-which bans such actions as foreclosures and caps interest rate increases for those on active duty and for up to 90 days following discharge-to help ensure the proper handling of foreclosures on protected borrowers in accordance with SCRA requirements, and avoid potential regulatory investigations, lawsuits and costly settlements for noncompliance.
Jorge Rodriguez in the federal court in Manhattan, claims that Citi told a judge during a foreclosure on his home in Del Valle, Texas that he was not on active duty. The suit seeks class-action status, stating that the bank failed regularly to check on the active-duty status of borrowers when it foreclosed on thousands of homes during the financial crisis.
"Parental psychological health measures and functional adjustment for active duty and nonactive duty indicate significant improvement following intervention.
That's the day Golden Corral restaurants nationwide welcome our nation's veterans and active duty military men and women to a free buffet dinner and drink, and lots of camaraderie.
IN May, Soldiers published a story about the Army's last draftee on continuous active duty ("40-year draftee," pages 20 to 25).
Most of you reading this are AC Sailors who will face the choice of whether or not to leave active duty at several points in your career.
The bill implements additional employment protections for service members who are ordered into "state active duty," similar to protections available under the Service Members Civil Relief Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.