Side Hustle
Etymology
From American slang "hustle," energetic (and sometimes sharp) money-getting, plus "side" for the secondary, off-hours nature of the work. The phrase surfaced in Black American English decades ago and went mainstream in the 2010s gig economy, when apps and platforms made small independent ventures easy to start. It shifted from meaning a scrappy hustle to a near-aspirational lifestyle category.
noun phrase · /SYD HUSS-uhl/
A money-making activity pursued alongside a main job, usually for extra income, independence, or the hope of turning it into something bigger.
What it names
A handle for the way steady employment increasingly comes with a second, entrepreneurial life bolted on — and for the economic pressure that makes one feel mandatory.
Example
Her weekend side hustle selling ceramics now earns more than her actual salary.
Related idea
Moonlighting is the older term for a second job, but it implies a hidden or after-dark shift; a side hustle is usually openly one’s own venture.