Busman’s holiday
October 22, 2009
Well, if we assume that that expression comes from when a busman went on vacation, he or she had to drive, then the title for the post works…if not, please tell me the genesis of the expression.
My nephew was married recently in Pittsburgh, PA. I went – carrying only 1 camera and 1 lens. In a total test of my willpower, I also only brought 2 flash cards – a 4gig and a 2gig. Since I always shoot raw, that wasn’t a lot of images I could retain.
Pittsburgh was unseasonably cold and rainy, but the morning of the wedding I walked down a typical Pittsburgh hill ( they’re reminiscent of San Francisco if you’ve never been to Pittsburgh) to a church I’d passed a gazillion times but had never stopped to shoot. I found an open door but the interior of the church was as dark as a dungeon, so I played around with the incredible architecture. The church was built around 1901 – the ivy covering the walls seemed that old as well. I’ll admit to wishing I had a tripod and/or some strobes along. I was shooting at a 15th of a second at F 2.8. For those who aren’t photographers, that gobbledygook simply means there was no light and it was tough to hold the camera steady – especially since it was raw damp and freezing!
That afternoon when I went to the wedding ( at a historic downtown hotel), I noticed the rest of downtown in the gloom from a room where I was going to change into a full-blown tux…this was a black tie affair – including 1 poor soul still working at 6pm on a Saturday. Made a few photos using the window as a steadying agent for the camera.
Shot a few wedding photos also, haven’t had a chance to even look to see what I got, so here’s a few photos from a busman’s holiday.
I believe you used it completely correctly.
This from wisegeek.com:
“A busman’s holiday in many respects is no holiday at all. A number of people, most notably those with high profile careers or jobs with major responsibilities, simply dread the idea of taking vacations. They often feel mixed emotions about taking so much time away from their professional duties. The result is usually called a busman’s holiday, in which the person spends his or her vacation time doing the same activities as he or she does for a living. A physician, for example, may take a busman’s holiday to work in a free clinic in a Third World country.
Taking a busman’s holiday may be viewed by others as taking no vacation at all, but for some people the thought of working voluntarily can indeed be a welcome change in their routines. A busman’s holiday often allows professionals to experience life from the perspective of their clients or customers. Instead of driving a bus for a living, a vacationing bus driver can ride the bus as a regular passenger and enjoy the scenery.
There are a few different theories on the origin of the phrase “busman’s holiday”. The version most commonly accepted hearkens back to the horse-driven omnibuses of 19th Century England. The drivers of these omnibuses often grew very attached to their particular team of horses pulling their carriage through town. During their days off, many of these omnibus drivers would disguise themselves as regular passengers in order to keep a critical eye on the relief drivers and the horses. It is said that the phrase “busman’s holiday” arose from this practice of bus drivers spending their downtime riding the buses.
Another theory also has a few supporters in the etymology world. The term “busman’s holiday” could have nothing to do with professional bus drivers after all. During the same time period as the horse-drawn omnibuses, teams of pickpockets worked the streets of London. One team member would distract the victim by engaging in conversation, while his or her partner picked the victim’s wallet. The slang term for the chattier of the two pickpockets was buzzman or buzman. It is thought by some etymologists that a “buzman’s holiday” would be no holiday at all, since criminals rarely take a break from criminal activity. Eventually the term would be changed to the more acceptable “busman’s holiday,” complete with a plausible alternative origin.