Land Office Business
Preserved but no longer current.
The U.S. government in the last century set up offices for the allot- ment of Government land. The rush of citizens to claim land at these offices led to the use of the above phrase, meaning a tremendous amount of business, or a rush of business.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Land Office Business” mean?
The U.S. government in the last century set up offices for the allot- ment of Government land. The rush of citizens to claim land at these offices led to the use of the above phrase, meaning a tremendous amount of business, or a rush of business.
Is “Land Office Business” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.