blood, sweat, and tears
Hard work embodied
Blood, sweat, and tears refers to extreme effort and sacrifice—the full measure of what a person can give to achieve something difficult.
The phrase evokes the body's responses to physical and emotional strain: injury, hard labor, and grief.
She put blood, sweat, and tears into building that company from nothing.
Often used to emphasize that success wasn't easy or free.
- effortApplied energy toward goals
- hard workSustained strenuous effort
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
- laborStrenuous effort; also childbirth
- elbow greaseStrenuous physical effort
work · endeavor · exertion · heavy lifting · struggle · uphill battle · pain · trial and error · commitment · grit · nose to the grindstone · Churchill · tenacity · suffering · perseverance · determination · no pain no gain · dedication
blood, sweat, and tearseffortlessness
Quality of seeming unstrained
effortless · ease · a walk in the park · smooth sailing · no sweat
blood, sweat, and tearssilver spoon
Symbol of inherited wealth
free ride · handout · windfall · free lunch · easy money
blood, sweat, and tearspleasure
Happy, satisfied feeling
comfort · painlessness · bed of roses · smooth ride · cushy
blood, sweat, tears, bloody, bloodied, blooded, bloodless, bloodline, bloodshed