rushed off one's feet
1
7.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
abrumado
- With the event coming up, the team was rushed off its feet trying to meet the deadline.
Examples
-
Since the store opened, they have been rushed off their feet serving customers nonstop.
-
She's rushed off her feet as it is.
-
After taking on too many projects, she felt rushed off her feet and struggled to keep up.
Synonyms
23
3.9
To be very busy with many tasks
10
4.2
When you have very little time you need to hurry
1
4.4
You have too much work and not enough time
1
6.9
Very busy with work or tasks and feeling overwhelmed
Antonyms
How Busy
- Informal
1
4.4
- Informal
1
7.9
∞
1.0
57
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'rush' and the image 'off one's feet' give a metaphorical clue — being hurried to the point of not being on your feet suggests exhaustion or overwhelm — so a learner who knows the words can get a partial sense. However, the exact idiomatic meaning 'extremely busy/overwhelmed' is a figurative extension rather than strictly compositional, so the sense is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The idiom rushed off one's feet paints a picture of someone so rushed that they are pulled off their feet, always running from one job to another and barely able to stand. So, it means 'very busy' or 'overwhelmed'.