Etymology

busman's holiday

bus·man’s hol·i·day

Today it means: A holiday or vacation during which one does something similar to what one does as work. Full definition →

First used late 19th c.
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The story

From busman + -’s + holiday, from the idea that a bus driver, to go off on a holiday, would take an excursion by bus or go on a long drive and thereby engage in a similar activity to his work.

First known use, by meaning

  • from late 19th c. A holiday or vacation during which one does something similar to what one does as work.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.