land-office business
[ land-aw-fis, -of-is ]
/ ˈlændˌɔ fɪs, -ˌɒf ɪs /
noun
a lively, booming, expanding, or very profitable business.
Origin of land-office business
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
Words nearby land-office business
land yacht,
land's end,
land-grabber,
land-grant college,
land-holder,
land-office business,
land-poor,
land-to-land,
landammann,
landau,
landau-kleffner syndrome
British Dictionary definitions for land-office business
land-office business
noun
US and Canadian informal
a booming or thriving business
Idioms and Phrases with land-office business
land-office business
A thriving, expanding, or very profitable concern or volume of trade. For example, After the storm they did a land-office business in snow shovels and rock salt. This term, dating from the 1830s, alludes to the throng of applicants to government land offices through which Western lands were sold. It has been used for other booming business since the mid-1800s.