elbow-grease
Definition
Noun: - Physical effort or hard work: "elbow-grease" refers to the vigorous physical effort, especially scrubbing, polishing, or cleaning, required to achieve a result. It implies manual labor rather than mechanical or intellectual work.
Usage Examples
- (Hard scrubbing and physical effort were required.)
- (He applied vigorous manual work to achieve a shine.)
Advanced Usage
"to put in elbow-grease": to apply physical effort or hard work.
- If you put in some elbow-grease, you can remove that stubborn stain. (If you work hard physically, you can remove the stain.)
"elbow-grease is needed": a phrase indicating that a task requires manual exertion.
- This floor hasn't been waxed in years; a lot of elbow-grease is needed. (The floor requires hard scrubbing.)
Variants and Related Words
- Elbow-grease is a compound noun and does not have common variants. It is sometimes written without the hyphen as "elbow grease".
Synonyms
- Hard work: strenuous physical labor.
- Sweat equity: effort put into a task, especially in a do-it-yourself context.
- Grunt work: tedious manual labor.
Idioms
"elbow-grease is the best polish": a saying meaning that hard work is the most effective way to achieve a good result.
- He believes that elbow-grease is the best polish for any surface. (He thinks hard work yields the best outcome.)
"to use a little elbow-grease": to apply some physical effort.
- Just use a little elbow-grease on that rusty hinge. (Apply some manual effort to loosen it.)