Definition

Noun: * An alert and energetic person: A person who is extremely enthusiastic, diligent, and hard-working, often volunteering for extra tasks or showing great zeal in their work or activities. The term often implies a person who is more eager than others, sometimes to an excessive degree.

Usage

The term "eager beaver" is used to describe someone who is very keen and puts a lot of effort into what they do. It is often used in informal contexts, such as in workplaces, schools, or social groups. It can be used both positively (to praise someone's enthusiasm) and slightly negatively (to suggest someone is overly zealous or trying too hard to impress).

Examples

• Noun:
  • Sarah is a real eager beaver; she always finishes her assignments a week early.
  • The new intern is such an eager beaver, volunteering for every extra project.
  • Don't be such an eager beaver—the meeting doesn't start for another hour.

Advanced Usage

• "to be an eager beaver": This is the standard phrase used to describe someone's characteristic behavior.
  • He's been an eager beaver since his first day on the job.

Variants and Related Words

• Eager (adj): Having or showing keen interest, intense desire, or impatient expectancy.
  • The children were eager to open their presents.
• Beaver (n/v): As a noun, it refers to the animal known for its hard work building dams. As a verb (informal), "to beaver away" means to work hard and diligently at something.
  • She's been beavering away at that report all afternoon.

Synonyms

• Go-getter: An aggressively enterprising person.
• Enthusiast: A person who is highly interested in a particular activity or subject.
• Zealot: A person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals. (This has a stronger, often negative connotation compared to "eager beaver".)

Related Idioms

• "To have a bee in one's bonnet": To be obsessed with an idea. (This relates to being single-mindedly energetic about a specific thing, unlike the general enthusiasm of an "eager beaver".)
• "To burn the midnight oil": To work late into the night. (This describes the of working hard, while "eager beaver" describes the who is inclined to do so.)

Noun

1. an alert and energetic person