Region: US | Usage example: Between the audit and the conference, I have been busy as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.

Busy as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest

Meaning

Extremely busy or struggling to keep up with hectic demands.

Used when a person is juggling too many tasks.

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Southern US folk humor that stacks absurdity to describe frantic effort.

Heard in rural speech recordings from the mid-1900s and kept alive by storytellers.