猫の手も借りたい

猫(ねこ)の手(て)も借(か)りたい • (neko no te mo karitai) 

1. (idiomatic) so busy there are not enough hours in the day; lit. to want to borrow even the paw of a cat
   • 2005, 海の穴子, しあわせの計り, 新風舎, page 48:

     年(とし)の暮(く)れは、海(の)苔(り)生(せい)産(さん)者(しゃ)は、猫(ねこ)の手(て)も借(か)りたいほど忙(いそが)しい。

     Toshi no kure wa, nori seisansha wa, neko no te mo karitai hodo isogashii.

     At the end of the year producers of nori are so busy there aren't enough hours in the day.

• “猫の手も借りたい”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025