n.an amount of business so voluminous that customers very nearly have to be turned away; a business which is expanding, thriving or very profitable. This term dates from the 1800s and comes from the practice where the United Statesgovernmentset up offices in new territories to allocate government-owned land to qualified settlers. Eager to get their allocations, people often waited in long lines before the offices even opened their doors. From this the term came to be applied to any fast-expanding or extremely profitable enterprise.