on the job

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on the job

1. working; busy; at work.

   Near-synonyms: on the clock; on the case, on it

   • April 14 2022, Delia Cai, “Severance, the New York Times’s Twitter Guidelines, and the Forever Illusion of Work-Life Balance”, in Vanity Fair‎:

     Unlike your typical office drama, wherein characters’ lives intersect entertainingly both inside and outside work, the premise of Severance rests in the twisted implications of total compartmentalization: What if you could separate out your work memories (and thereby your work self), thereby forming a totally distinct identity while on the job?

2. (slang) Having sex.
3. (police jargon) Being a police officer, as contrasted with a civilian.

• on-the-job