elbow grease

SEE SYNONYMS FOR elbow grease ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

strenuous physical exertion: a job requiring elbow grease.

Origin of elbow grease

First recorded in 1630–40

Words nearby elbow grease

elbow, elbow-bender, elbow bone, elbow catch, elbowed bougie, elbow grease, elbow joint, elbowroom, Elbrus, Elburz Mountains, El Cajon

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for elbow grease

Not at all, Mrs. Broughton; success depends on elbow-grease.
The Last Chronicle of Barset|Anthony Trollope
If a mahogany table was to be made to shine, it was elbow-grease that the operation needed.
Thackeray|Anthony Trollope
But hard work was not their way of life; wits they believed worth more than elbow-grease.
Lobo, Rag and Vixen|Ernest Seton-Thompson
Even at the present day, Madam Joes universal panacea is the grubbing-hoe and elbow-grease.
Florida: Past and present|Samuel Curtis Upham

He has the technique of the conductor, but the elbow-grease was missing.
Old Fogy|James Huneker

British Dictionary definitions for elbow grease

elbow grease

noun

facetious vigorous physical labour, esp hard rubbing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with elbow grease

elbow grease

Strenuous physical effort, as in You'll have to use some elbow grease to get the house painted in time. This term alludes to vigorous use of one's arm in cleaning, polishing, or the like. It soon was extended to any kind of hard work, and Anthony Trollope used it still more figuratively (Thackeray, 1874): “Forethought is the elbow-grease which a novelist ... requires.” [First half of 1600s]

Cultural definitions for elbow grease

elbow grease

Strenuous physical effort: “If you're going to get this job done, you'll need to apply a little elbow grease.”

单词	elbow grease
释义	elbow grease SEE SYNONYMS FOR elbow grease ON THESAURUS.COM noun strenuous physical exertion: a job requiring elbow grease. Origin of elbow grease First recorded in 1630–40 Words nearby elbow grease elbow, elbow-bender, elbow bone, elbow catch, elbowed bougie, elbow grease, elbow joint, elbowroom, Elbrus, Elburz Mountains, El Cajon Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for elbow grease Not at all, Mrs. Broughton; success depends on elbow-grease. The Last Chronicle of Barset\|Anthony Trollope If a mahogany table was to be made to shine, it was elbow-grease that the operation needed. Thackeray\|Anthony Trollope But hard work was not their way of life; wits they believed worth more than elbow-grease. Lobo, Rag and Vixen\|Ernest Seton-Thompson Even at the present day, Madam Joes universal panacea is the grubbing-hoe and elbow-grease. Florida: Past and present\|Samuel Curtis Upham He has the technique of the conductor, but the elbow-grease was missing. Old Fogy\|James Huneker British Dictionary definitions for elbow grease elbow grease noun facetious vigorous physical labour, esp hard rubbing Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Idioms and Phrases with elbow grease elbow grease Strenuous physical effort, as in You'll have to use some elbow grease to get the house painted in time. This term alludes to vigorous use of one's arm in cleaning, polishing, or the like. It soon was extended to any kind of hard work, and Anthony Trollope used it still more figuratively (Thackeray, 1874): “Forethought is the elbow-grease which a novelist ... requires.” [First half of 1600s] The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Words related to elbow grease effort, exertion, labor, muscle, oomph, strain, strength, sweat, toil, travail, sweat of one's brow Cultural definitions for elbow grease elbow grease Strenuous physical effort: “If you're going to get this job done, you'll need to apply a little elbow grease.” The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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elbow grease

noun

Origin of elbow grease

Words nearby elbow grease

Example sentences from the Web for elbow grease

British Dictionary definitions for elbow grease

noun

Idioms and Phrases with elbow grease

Words related to elbow grease

Cultural definitions for elbow grease