#682. Activity. -- N. activity; briskness, liveliness &c. adj.; animation, life, vivacity, spirit, dash, energy; snap, vim.
nimbleness, agility; smartness, quickness &c. adj.; velocity, &c. 274; alacrity, promptitude; despatch, dispatch; expedition; haste &c. 684; punctuality &c. (early) 132.
eagerness, zeal, ardor, perfervidum aingenium[Lat][obs], empressement[Fr], earnestness, intentness; abandon; vigor &c. (physical energy) 171; devotion &c. (resolution) 604; exertion &c. 686.
industry, assiduity; assiduousness &c. adj.; sedulity; laboriousness; drudgery &c. (labor) 686; painstaking, diligence; perseverance &c. 604a; indefatigation|; habits of business.
vigilance &c. 459; wakefulness; sleeplessness, restlessness; insomnia; pervigilium[obs], insomnium[obs]; racketing.
movement, bustle, stir, fuss, ado, bother, pottering, fidget, fidgetiness; flurry &c. (haste) 684.
officiousness; dabbling, meddling; interference, interposition, intermeddling; tampering with, intrigue.
press of business, no sinecure, plenty to do, many irons in the fire, great doings, busy hum of men, battle of life, thick of the action.
housewife, busy bee; new brooms; sharp fellow, sharp blade; devotee, enthusiast, zealot, meddler, intermeddler, intriguer, busybody, pickthank[obs]; hummer, hustler, live man [U.S.], rustler * [U. S.].
V. be active &c. adj.; busy oneself in; stir, stir about, stir one's stumps; bestir oneself, rouse oneself; speed, hasten, peg away, lay about one, bustle, fuss; raise up, kick up a dust; push; make a push, make a fuss, make a stir; go ahead, push forward; fight one's way, elbow one's way; make progress &c. 282; toll &c. (labor) 686; plod, persist &c. (persevere) 604a; keep up the ball, keep the pot boiling.
look sharp; have all one's eyes about one &c. (vigilance) 459; rise, arouse oneself, hustle, get up early, be about, keep moving, steal a march, kill two birds with one stone; seize the opportunity &c. 134 lose no time, not lose a moment, make the most of one's time, not suffer the grass to grow under one's feet, improve the shining hour, make short work of; dash off; make haste &c. 684; do one's best take pains &c. (exert oneself) 686; do wonders, work wonders.
have many irons in the fire, have one's hands full, have much on one's hands; have other things to do, have other fish to fry; be busy; not have a moment to spare, not have a moment that one can call one's own.
have one's fling, run the round of; go all lengths, stick at nothing, run riot.
outdo; overdo, overact, overlay, overshoot the mark; make a toil of a pleasure.
have a hand in &c. (act in) 680; take an active part, put in one's oar, have a finger in the pie, mix oneself up with, trouble, one's head about, intrigue; agitate.
tamper with, meddle, moil; intermeddle, interfere, interpose; obtrude; poke one's nose in, thrust one's nose in.
Adj. active, brisk, brisk as a lark, brisk as a bee; lively, animated, vivacious; alive, alive and kicking; frisky, spirited, stirring.
nimble, nimble as a squirrel; agile; light-footed, nimble-footed; featly[obs], tripping.
quick, prompt, yare[obs], instant, ready, alert, spry, sharp, smart; fast &c. (swift) 274; quick as a lamplighter, expeditious; awake, broad awake; go-ahead, live wide-awake &c. (intelligent) 498[U.S.].
forward, eager, strenuous, zealous, enterprising, in earnest; resolute &c. 604.
industrious, assiduous, diligent, sedulous, notable, painstaking; intent &c. (attention) 457; indefatigable &c. (persevering) 604a; unwearied; unsleeping[obs], never tired; plodding, hard-working &c. 686; businesslike, workaday.
bustling; restless, restless as a hyena; fussy, fidgety, pottering; busy, busy as hen with one chicken.
working, at work, on duty, in harness; up in arms; on one's legs, at call; up and doing, up and stirring.
busy, occupied; hard at work, hard at it; up to one's ears in, full of business, busy as a bee, busy as a one-armed paperhanger.
meddling &c. v.; meddlesome, pushing, officious, overofficious[obs], intrigant[obs].
astir, stirring; agoing[obs], afoot; on foot; in full swing; eventful; on the alert, &c. (vigilant) 459.
Adv. actively &c. adj.; with life and spirit, with might and main &c. 686,with haste &c. 684, with wings; full tilt, in mediis rebus[Lat].
Int. be alive, look alive, look sharp! move on, push on! keep moving! go ahead! stir your stumps! age quod agis[Lat]! jaldi[obs]! karo[obs]! step lively!
Phr. carpe diem &c. (opportunity) 134[Latin: seize the day]; nulla dies sine linea [Latin][Pliny]; nec mora nec requies [Latin][Vergil]; the plot thickens; No sooner said than done &c. (early) 132; "veni vidi vici" [Lat][Suetonius]; catch a weasel asleep; abends wird der Faule fleissig [obs][German]; dictum ac factum [Lat][Terence]; schwere Arbeit in der Jugend ist sanfte Ruhe im Alter[German: hard work in youth means soft rest in age]; "the busy hum of men " [Milton].