fence painting
Tom Sawyer's chore
Fence painting is tedious, unglamorous work—the kind of chore you'd rather avoid.
The phrase gained figurative life from Mark Twain's *Tom Sawyer*, where Tom tricks friends into whitewashing a fence by pretending it's a privilege.
Now fence painting can mean either dreary busywork or, more cleverly, the art of making undesirable tasks seem appealing to others: He's fence painting again—trying to get us excited about data entry.
- whitewashConceal or coat pale
- picketPointed fence stake
- brushstrokesMarks left by painting
- back and forthRepeated alternating movement
- primerPreparatory coat or guide
Tom Sawyer · Mark Twain · stain · lattice · wooden · slats · backyard · chore · elbow grease · roller · drips · weathered · outdoor · summer · labor · coat · fresh · posts
- community effortscommunity garden, neighborhood watch, block party, volunteer work, volunteering
- Yard Repairsdeck repair, lawn mower repair, sprinkler repair, stump removal
- Outsider Artnaive art, primitive art, self-taught artists, emotional honesty, religious visions
- Carnegie MellonAndrew Carnegie
- beautificationflower beds, flower planting, landscaping, tree planting, public gardens
- Mark TwainSamuel Clemens, pen name, pseudonym, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn