More on Brisk as a Bee from Infoplease:

• Brisk as a Bee - Brisk as a Bee (See Similes.) Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894 ...
• Pick Straws - Pick Straws (To). To show fatigue or weariness, as birds pick up straws to make their nests (or ...
• Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: B - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "B"