busy work

bus·y·work

[biz-ee-wurk]
noun
work assigned for the sake of looking or keeping busy.

Origin:
1840–50; busy + work

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

busy work

Activity meant to take up time but not actually be productive. For example, We have to put in an eight-hour day, even if we do nothing but busy work. [c. 1840]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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00:10
Busy work is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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