elbow grease
Vigorous manual effort
Elbow grease is vigorous physical effort, especially the kind of scrubbing, polishing, or manual labor that makes muscles work: That old floor needs some elbow grease to get it shining again.
The phrase suggests that hard rubbing—as with an elbow's back-and-forth motion—is itself a kind of lubricant for getting difficult jobs done.
Vigorous physical effort
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
- laborStrenuous effort; also childbirth
- sweatMoisture from skin pores
- grindCrush into particles
drudgery · perseverance · persistence · determination · tenacity · diligence · industriousness · dedication
exertion
Vigorous physical effort
grind · drudgery · perseverance · persistence · determination · tenacity · diligence · industriousness · dedication · commitment
scrubbing
Cleaning by rubbing hard
wiping · mopping · waxing · dusting · sweeping · shining · washing · rubbing · degreasing · detailing
vigor
Active physical strength
zest · drive · hustle · muscle · strength · power · force · punch · steam · push
- workjob, 9 to 5, jobs, labor, employee
- Hard Workgrind, hustle, toil, effort, labor
- labor idiomsnose to the grindstone, burning the midnight oil, pull your weight, crunch time, work like a dog
- body idiomsheart of gold, heart of stone, cold heart, warm heart, soft heart
- cleanlinessclean, cleanliness, clean up, dirty, neatness
- laborlabor, labor union, work, labor force, laborers
elbow greaselaziness
Unwillingness to exert oneself
idleness · sloth · indolence · minimal effort · lethargy
elbow greaseautomation
Self-operating system design
labor-saving devices · mechanization · power tools · machinery · shortcuts
elbow, grease, greasy, elbows, elbowing, elbowed, greased, greasing, greaser