busy work
(idiomatic, chiefly, US) Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for
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The holy bible is busy work for the profane.
Everything is on the computer and most of it is crappy busy work and poorly designed test software.
My basic requirement for a plan is an answer to the GOP problem. That’s the ticket to entry to me. There’s nothing this plan can do to deal with that. So it’s probably a nonstarter. Just busy work.
Good afternoon @maryoseioppong.bsky.social another busy work day in the Shires. Thank you for the beautiful flowers soft pinks are very gorgeous. Hope you had a good day.
Reading the books is simply busy work, unless you have a curriculum that teaches you to investigate and interrogate them. The Odyssey has many wonderful things to teach us, but not if you don't realize it's almost en…
Definitions
(idiomatic, chiefly, US) Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.
“The holy bible is busy work for the profane.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Everything is on the computer and most of it is crappy busy work and poorly designed test software.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“My basic requirement for a plan is an answer to the GOP problem. That’s the ticket to entry to me. There’s nothing this plan can do to deal with that. So it’s probably a nonstarter. Just busy work.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Good afternoon @maryoseioppong.bsky.social another busy work day in the Shires. Thank you for the beautiful flowers soft pinks are very gorgeous. Hope you had a good day.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Reading the books is simply busy work, unless you have a curriculum that teaches you to investigate and interrogate them. The Odyssey has many wonderful things to teach us, but not if you don't realize it's almost entirely a fiction told from Odysseus' perspective.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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- make-work79%
(chiefly, US) An activity or task assigned or undertaken for the sake of activity or busy-ness, rather than because of a particular need.
- get busy72%
(informal) To cease to be idle and start working.
- bullshit job67%
(slang, vulgar, derogatory, labor, economics) Meaningless or unnecessary wage labor which the worker is obliged to pretend to have a purpose.
- timepass65%
An activity which is boring or not worthwhile; a waste of time.
- timepass64%
Aimless or unproductive activity; killing time.