Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) extremely busy.

1905		F. Hutchison Philosophy of Johnny the Gent 51: ‘The Wise Crackin’ Kid is as busy as a birddog right away’.
1916		Day Book (Chicago) 21 Oct. 17/1: When the boss hovers around they’re as busy as a bird dog.
1930		K. Brush Young Man of Manhattan 142: I’ve been busy as a bird dog, up to now.

(orig. US) extremely busy.

1846		Ottowa Free Trader (IL) 22 May 1/2: Lieut. Asby was as busy as a nailor [...] He kept dashing about.
1855		Jackson Standard (OH) 2 Aug. 2/2: We found Mr Andrews as busy as a nailor waiting upon a very large number of customers.
1860		Poughkeepsie Jrnl (NY) 5 May 1/5: The owld fellow worked away as busy as a nailer [sic].
1877		Nebraska Advertiser 13 Sept. 1/5: Rose was busy as a nailor [...] and hence got small chance to gossip.
1880		Northern Whig 7 Aug. 6/1: ‘As busy as a nailor’.
1899		Republican News Item (Laport, PA) 17 Aug. 2/2: She was busy as a nailor over her preparations.
1907		Audubon Co. Jrnl (Exira, LA) 30 May 5/2: Our young friend Arnold was busy as a nailor [...] but took time to give us a pleasant greeting.

(orig. Aus./US) extremely busy; often ext. by with crabs/hives or with an itch; ad hoc vars. exist; also used in phr. like a one-armed paper-hanger.

1907		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 22: It was one of those lightning-like affairs in which both men worked so fast that you are even busier than the one armed paper hanger who had the hives.
1908		‘O. Henry’ ‘The Ethics of Pig’ in Gentle Grafter (1915) 235: I got busy as a one-armed man with the nettle-rash.
1912		Nat. Advocate (Bathurst) 29 May 4/1: Cyril, the bookkeeper, was busier than a one-armed paperhanger with the hives, three days behind with his books .
1914		T.A. Dorgan Indoor Sports 5 Mar. [synd. cartoon] He’s as busy as a one-armed club swinger with the poison ivy.
1915		A. Baer Training Camp 1 Mar. [synd. col.] Mike is busier than a one-armed paperhanger with an extravagant wife.
1918		Queenslander (Brisbane) 16 Mar. n.p.: For three weeks the old gentleman was as busy as the proverbial one-armed paper hanger with the itch.
1920		A. Baer Speaking of Beauty 28 Aug. [synd. col.] America is busier than a one-eared telephone operator.
1921		Jerry on the Job [comic strip] I’m as busy as a one-armed guy buttoning his glove.
1925		(con. 1899) H.P. Bailey Shanghaied Out of Frisco 64: Busy? Why, I am thet goldarn busy, I—I’m busy as a one-armed paperhanger with an itchy armpit.
1926		Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl. 10: busy as a one-armed paper-hanger with the barber’s itch. Very busy.
1926		Cessnock Eagle (NSW) 13 July 5/2: It may be truthfully said that Charlie was as busy as a one-armed paper-hanger with the hives.
1930		J. Held Jr ‘Merely Margy’ [comic strip] Not a chance. I’m as busy as a one-armed paper-hanger.
1930		Eve. News 1 Aug. 6/5: One thing is certain, and that is that the Commissioner, for the next six months, is going to be busier than a one-armed paper-hanger with the itch.
1932		Townsville Dly Bulletin (Qld) 5 May 8/5: [T]he latter being as busy as a one-arm paper-hanger with prickly heat.
1940		Truth (Brisbane) 2 June 2/3: As energetic as a one-armed paper hanger with the itch. Ted Fordyce rattled Rosante into giving of his very best.
1941		Truth (Brisbane) 21 Dec. 2/3: [They] had to resort to ‘Shanks’ Pony’ and foot-slog it to the Valley, where tram conductors were kept as busy as one-armed paper-hangers suffering from prickly heat.
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 201: Busy as one-armed paper-hangers right now.
1949		Brisbane Teleg. 29 Apr. 12/3: ‘As busy as a one-armed paper-hanger with an itch ‘might well describe the activities of timpanist Ralph Benfell .
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 112: Nine-thirty in the morning saw me as busy as a one-armed man with the itch.
1951		Advertiser (Adelaide) 7 Dec. 1/6: We were busier than a battalion of one-armed paper hangers.
1959		G. Slatter Gun in My Hand 147: I been busy as a one-armed paper-hanger.
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 28: Hell, I had to hustle like a one-armed paperhanger to keep myself straight.
1974		Aus. Women’s Wkly 28 Aug. 110/3: You can plan to be as busy as a one-armed paper-hanger with the itch, but if no one really cares if you do it or not, it is all valueless.
1977		R. Coover Public Burning (1979) 407: I been busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the nettle rash.
1979		D. Maitland Breaking Out 276: The Reverend, here, has worked like a bloody one-armed paper hanger to turn this place into something fit for human beings.
1983		Canberra Times (ACT) 22 June 29/4: An extended version of the simile offered last week about the one armed paper-hanger is ‘as busy as a one-armed paperhanger with the hives’.
1984		in Maledicta VIII 240: He was busier than a one-armed paperhanger with crabs.
1985		R.G. Barrett You Wouldn’t Be Dead for Quids (1989) 46: Sally was going at it busier than a one-armed paper hanger with the crabs.
1986		B. Hudson First Aus. Dict. Vulgarities & Obscenities n.p.: One-armed. Indicating frenetic activity: (1) Busy as a one-armed (wall) paper hanger. (2) Busy as a one-armed taxi driver with crabs.
1992		Sun-Herald (Sydney) 16 Aug. 25: She says she’s busier than a one-armed paper hanger.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 40: busy as a one-armed paperhanger with crabs [ibid.] 130: looks like a one-armed taxidriver with crabs Very busy.
2003		K. Richards Aussie Bible 36: At the time Jesus was busy healing - busy as a one-armed paper-hanger in a gale - dealing with every kind of sickness in the medical dictionary.
2005		B. Zimmer posting at ADS-L 26 June 🌐 The ‘Canonical List Of Language Humor’ maintained by the rec.humor newsgroup in the mid-’90s included these similes: [...] Busy as a one-armed wallpaper hanger with the crabs.
2012		Blokey Shed 22 Sept. 🌐 Classic lines [...] Busy as a one armed paper hanger with crabs.
2015		N. Cummins Tales of the Honey Badger [ebook] I was busier than a one-armed bicklayer in Baghdad.

extremely busy.

1981		(con. 1967) P. Conroy Lords of Discipline 407: I’ve been as busy as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.
2000		(con. 1940s–60s) Décharné Straight from the Fridge Dad 4: As busy as a one-legged tapdancer Extremely busy.
2000		posting at iagora.com 30 Apr. 🌐 I grew up in country Victoria and I used to love spending time with my friends who lived out on farms. Their fathers would constantly entertain us with their colourful expressions. One of my all time favourites is [...] ‘He’s as busy as a one legged bloke in an arse kicking contest.’.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 40: looks like a one-legged man at an arse-kickers’ party Uncomfortable. ANZ.
2005		B. Zimmer posting at ADS-L 26 June 🌐 The ‘Canonical List Of Language Humor’ maintained by the rec.humor newsgroup in the mid-’90s included these similes: Busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. [...] Busy as a one-legged cat trying to bury shit on a frozen pond.
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] WHEN YOU’RE TOO BUSY: ‘As busy as a one-eyed cat watching two rat holes’ or ‘A one-legged man in a bum-kicking competition’ or [...] ‘As busy as a blue-arsed fly’.
2020		S.A. Crosby Blacktop Wasteland 175: The garage was as busy as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

very busy.

1736		E. Dower The Salopian Esquire 24: If she did [know] she would be as busy as the Devil in a high Wind.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Busy. As Busy as the Devil in a high wind.
1812		Gentleman’s Mag. Mar. 228/1: ‘As busy as the Devil in a high wind’ [...] is an adage of probably much greater antiquity than the legend of Saint Michael, and originated in the generally-received opinion of the Devil being author of all mischief.
1825		Cobbett’s Weekly Register 1 Oct. 20: The Scotch feelosofers have been busy as the devil in a high wind to counteract the effect of this opinion.
1837		Margueritte, Counter of Blessington Honey-Moon & Other Tales I 161: Och, sure, I was as busy as the devil in a high wind.
1846		W. Watts Yahoo 33: [note] Teaching the poor to read so generally has cut out plenty of employment for the spiritual sowgelders, who are now as busy as the Devil in a high wind.