collar-work

collar-work

A worker pushes a heavy cart up a steep hill in collar-work.

Definition
  1. Noun (uncountable):
    • Hard physical labor: "collar-work" refers to strenuous, demanding physical work that requires great effort, similar to the exertion needed to pull a heavy load uphill. The term originates from the image of a horse or ox straining against its collar to pull a heavy cart.
    • Figuratively: Any difficult, taxing task that requires significant mental or physical endurance.
Usage Examples
  • (Very hard physical labor.)
  • (A difficult mental task requiring great effort.)
Advanced Usage

  • "to do collar-work": to perform extremely hard labor.

    • In the 19th century, many laborers did collar-work in the fields from dawn to dusk. (They engaged in very taxing physical work.)

  • "collar-work and drudgery": a phrase emphasizing repetitive, exhausting tasks.

    • The job involved nothing but collar-work and drudgery, with no intellectual challenge. (Only monotonous, physically demanding work.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Collar (n): a band worn around the neck of an animal (e.g., a horse or ox) used to harness it for pulling loads.

    • The horse's collar was padded to prevent chafing during heavy work. (The harness part around the neck.)

  • Collar-worker (n): a person who performs collar-work.

    • The collar-workers were the strongest men in the village. (Those who did the heaviest labor.)
Synonyms
  • Grind: hard, monotonous work.
  • Slog: a long, tiring effort.
  • Toil: continuous hard work.
  • Drudgery: dull, repetitive, and exhausting labor.
Idioms and Fixed Expressions

  • "collar-work and sweat": a phrase meaning work that causes physical exhaustion.

    • The harvest season was all collar-work and sweat for the farmhands. (Extremely strenuous labor.)

  • "no collar-work, no reward": a proverb meaning that great effort is needed for success.

    • He believed in the old saying, "no collar-work, no reward." (Hard work is necessary for achievement.)
Related Idioms

  • "put one's shoulder to the collar": to apply oneself with great effort to a task.

    • If we all put our shoulders to the collar, we can finish the project on time. (Work very hard together.)

  • "collar-work makes the man": an expression suggesting that hard labor builds character.

    • His father taught him that collar-work makes the man, so he never shied from tough jobs. (Enduring hard work strengthens a person.)