We often complain to be very” busy” or have hectic lives. There is no mathematical equation or units to measure the word busy. The term ” busy” can have many different meanings depending in what type of context it is being used in. Language (especially the words used to create language) helps us carve out the reality of words such as “busy”. For instance, the culture that we associate ourselves with will creatively give a word a certain meaning. The manner in which a community shares a particular way of interpreting a word is also contingent on how they practice it. Here are a few examples I came across.
According Answers.com, the word busy means:
- Engaged in activity, as work; occupied.
- Sustaining much activity: a busy morning; a busy street.
- Meddlesome; prying.
- Being in use, as a telephone line.
- Cluttered with detail to the point of being distracting: a busy design.
Sounds about right? Well many people in America can easily relate to the meaning of busy as being “Being in use” or “Occupied”. In most cases, people generally use the word busy to describe a condition or a state of mind in which they are in. Here are some of the Idioms also offered on Answers.com
Idioms beginning with busy:
· Busy as a beaver
· Busy work.
I can’t recall the last time I heard one of my friends say they were “busy as a beaver” but, we can all imagine how busy a beaver can be while building his/her dam.
Here’s another definition provided by Dictionary.com on busy.
Busy :bus·i·est, verb, bus·ied, bus·y·ing. –adjective
| 1. | actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime: busy with her work. |
| 2. | not at leisure; otherwise engaged: He couldn’t see any visitors because he was busy. |
| 3. | full of or characterized by activity: a busy life. |
| 4. | (of a telephone line) in use by a party or parties and not immediately accessible. |
| 5. | officious; meddlesome; prying. |
| 6. | ornate, disparate, or clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, unharmonious details; fussy: The rug is too busy for this room. |
–verb (used with object)
| 7. | To keep occupied; make or keep busy: In summer, he busied himself keeping the lawn in order. |
So, according to Dictionary.com the word Busy can also mean, “not at leisure” and “officious” and “fussy”? My only concern is what if your busy doing something you actually enjoy? Does the word “busy” necessarily mean you are engaged in a activity that seems to be frustrating and tedious? When you’re busy in America the workload that needs to be completed may seen unbearable and wearisome but, busy in other foreign countries have a complete different meaning. When I asked my grandmother what thought came to mind first when she thought of busy, she responded, “telephone lines being busy” or “busy getting ready for an cultural event” Whereas, in America the first notion that comes to mind is all the workload that needs to be completed by a certain time, can cause a person to be busy.
As college students, the word “ busy” may have a completely different meaning on the weekends. Leave it Sean Paul to let us know what it really means to get “Busy”. So let’s get busy!
3 responses so far ↓
Stephanie Jo Kent // March 22, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Hey, you gotta add the category “Small Group Communication” !!
This is creative – getting readers to jam to Sean Paul while reading (i.e., doing school) – I can sense you’re trying to start something, but it is so subtle. I mean, all those words words words you posted in the def don’t do nothing to articulate WHY we gotta unnerstand busy diff, y’know what I’m talkin’ ’bout?
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