What does busy as a one armed paper hanger mean?

What does busy as a one armed paper hanger mean?

The colloquial American-English phrase as busy as, or busier than, a one-armed paperhanger, and variants, mean exceedingly busy. All the earliest occurrences that I have found of this phrase, and of similar ones, date from 1906.

What was a paperhanger?

1 : one that applies wallpaper. 2 slang : one who passes worthless checks.

What is a cranberry merchant?

Someone who’s being rude or pushy might be said to “have more nerves than a cranberry merchant.” This idiom is probably a variation on the phrase “busier than a cranberry merchant in November,” which relates to the short, hectic harvesting season right before Thanksgiving.

What is a paper hanger criminal?

Filters. (slang) The illegal activities of a paperhanger; counterfeiting fraud. noun.

What do you call a person who hangs wallpaper?

pa·per·hang·er (pā′pər-hăng′ər) 1. One whose occupation is covering or decorating walls with wallpaper; a paperer.

What does the expression busier than a cranberry merchant mean?

Very busy, assiduous, or hardworking. The phrase refers to beavers’ reputation for being extremely industrious.

Where did busier than a cranberry merchant come from?

Just an observation and guess: I have seen the phrase used in the New England area. There is usually a few more words tacked onto the end of the phrase–“busier than a cranberry merchant in November”–the reference to cranberry being used for a traditional Thanksgiving feast.

What was a paper hanger in the army?

Paper hanger may refer to: A tradesman who applies wallpaper to a wall. Cheque fraud, the unlawful use of cheques. Paper hanger (Mundelein’s speech), given by Cardinal George Mundelein regarding Adolf Hitler before World War II.

What do you call a person who puts up wallpaper?

(ˈpeɪpəˌhæŋə) n. 1. a person who hangs wallpaper as an occupation.

Should I hire someone to hang wallpaper?

Be sure you hire a wallpapering expert. With wallpaper installation being such a sticky project to tackle yourself, it’s wise to hire someone for the job — but don’t hire just any contractor.

Where did the phrase busier than a cranberry merchant come from?

Who was as busy as one armed paper hanger?

A man with red grogans was the chef and he was as busy as a one-armed paper hanger with the hives. 5-: The second-earliest occurrence of as busy as a one-armed paperhanger that I have found is from Novices at Kicking.

Where does the phrase ” paper hanger ” come from?

Does anyone know hwere this phrase originates? A paper-hanger, as you probably know, is someone who puts up wallpaper.

What does one armed paper hanger mean in Mississippi?

A colleague of mine used this phrase today and I’ve been too polite to ask what it means. : : the phrase in Mississippi is often used to denote some one that is very, very busy ! It comes from the idea that it takes at the least two good hands to hang wallpaper.

Why are two hands better than one arm paper hanger?

If you’ve ever done this, or seen it done, you know that even a two-handed person has a hard time getting the paper lined up, spreading the glue, smoothing out the bubbles, catching the corners that start to peel away from the wall, etc. Even two people working together are kept busy.