busy as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest
Working so hard you're about to fall over from it.
Also called busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.
Updated September 21, 2026
busy as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest pronunciation
/BIZ-ee az uh WUN-leg-id man in uh BUTT-kick-in KON-test/
Meaning
A loud country way to say you're slammed. The joke is the picture: one leg, a butt-kicking contest, and zero spare time. You hear it when somebody asks for a favor and the honest answer is "not today." Same family as other redneck busy-talk like "busy as a one-armed paperhanger."
How folks use it
- “I can't fix your fence this week; I'm busy as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.”
- “Harvest time had Daddy busy as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest from sunup on.”
Origin and etymology
Exact first use is murky. It sits with other American rural exaggerations that pile a silly picture on top of "real busy." Dialect lists and everyday talk treat it as colorful US slang, and it lands natural in redneck speech next to kin phrases like "busy as a one-armed paperhanger."