The Rise and Fall of the “Busyboy”: Were We Ever So Young?

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The Rise and Fall of the “Busyboy”: Were We Ever So Young?

On the evening of March 5th, as I crossed Houston Street alone en route to a gathering where I’d know next to nobody, I had zero idea that a new term was about to enter my lexicon. That night, I made my last new friend before a world-altering virus sunk its teeth into New York, and it was on this most auspicious occasion that she told me about… the busyboy.

Lea Carey, a talented illustrator and painter, coined the term “busyboy” with her friends not long ago. The descriptor refers to a romantic prospect who responds to your inquiry about making plans with a vague yet helpless reply, something along the lines of: “I’d love to, but I’m so busy right now.”