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Glite Dictionary
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

3 7.4
Full of energy and ready to start the day
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : lleno de energía
  • Every day, I wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to take on the world.
  • look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
  • bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning
  • bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at work

Examples

  • Even Phil seemed better, looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at breakfast and nodding his cunning little head in time to the music on the radio as she cleaned up the dishes.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Say, you're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.

    Unconquered (1947)

  • You want to wake up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the boss.

    Gulliver's Travels (2010)

  • "So, did I even have to guess why my buddy was so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning?

    Fiction book (1991)

  • "You look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," I said.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Let's figure it out tomorrow when we're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

    Central Intelligence (2016)

  • You want to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the big Easter egg hunt tomorrow morning.

    Critters 2 (1988)

  • But implementing nine simple steps can help assure that your kids get the sleep they need and are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the next day.

    Blog text (31)

  • I'm feeling very well, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to catch the day.

  • But Assmann, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, started unloading his car.

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

bright
vsbright-eyed and bushy-tailed
171 1.0

Full of happiness and cheer

emphasizes morning or start energy more than simple cheerfulness
perky
vsbright-eyed and bushy-tailed
45 4.1

Cheerful and full of energy

is more tied to early or starting moments of activity
high-spirited
vsbright-eyed and bushy-tailed
6 3.9

Full of energy and excitement

is focused on morning or new start energy rather than any time
sparkly
vsbright-eyed and bushy-tailed
5 3.7

Full of lively energy and cheer

is about energy at mornings or when beginning things
sparky
vsbright-eyed and bushy-tailed
  • Informal
2 4.1

Full of energy and enthusiasm that excites others

is especially used for morning or beginning situations

Antonyms

lethargic
15 5.3

Being very tired and slow with little interest or energy

unenthusiastic
4 3.9

Not showing much interest or excitement

How Energetic

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
  • Informal
3 7.4
alert
82 2.8
awake
432 1.0
tired
∞ 1.0
lethargic
15 5.3

Surface Forms

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed positive

Morphology

bright-eyed + and + bushy-tailed

The phrase pairs a transparent element ('bright-eyed' = alert/awake) with a metaphorical animal-based element ('bushy-tailed') whose idiomatic sense of eager/energetic is not fully predictable from 'bushy' + 'tailed'. A B1 learner knowing the constituents could probably infer a general sense of liveliness, but the conventionalized figurative meaning requires some exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed comes from the picture of a lively bird or dog in the morning: bright-eyed shows clear, wide eyes and bushy-tailed shows a fluffy, raised tail. So, the phrase means 'full of energy and enthusiasm'.