hammer out
Thrash out painstakingly
To hammer out something is to produce it through sustained effort and negotiation, especially when the process involves working through difficulties or disagreements: They hammered out a compromise after hours of debate.
The image is of metalworking—shaping something usable through repeated strikes.
You hammer out an agreement, a deal, a plan, or the details of an arrangement.
Metal-shaping block
- blacksmithIron-shaping craftsperson
- smithyWorkshop for shaping metal
- tongsHinged grasping utensil
- furnaceEnclosed heat-producing structure
iron · steel · heat · pound · shape · bend · temper · quench
Shared position between parties
- compromiseAgreement through mutual sacrifice
- dealAgreement or distribution
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
- termsConditions of an agreement
contract · bargain · resolution · accord · concession · treaty · pact · understanding
Cooked fruit spread
- improvisePerform without preparation
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
- riffRepeated musical phrase
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
session · beat · syncopation · melody · arrangement · composition · ensemble · cadence
anvil
Metal-shaping block
- blacksmithIron-shaping craftsperson
- smithyWorkshop for shaping metal
- tongsHinged grasping utensil
furnace · iron · steel · heat · pound · shape · bend · temper · quench · metal
agreement
Shared position between parties
- compromiseAgreement through mutual sacrifice
- dealAgreement or distribution
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
terms · contract · bargain · resolution · accord · concession · treaty · pact · understanding · talks
jam
Cooked fruit spread
groove · session · beat · syncopation · melody · arrangement · composition · ensemble · cadence · progression
- business jargonacronym, scalability, buzzword, drill down, low-hanging fruit
- Hashing things outdebate, discuss, argue, negotiate, settle
- metalworkingwelding, casting, forging, smithing, smelting
- problem-solvingproblem solving, puzzles, riddles, logic, solutions
- constructionconstruction site, building site, building, beam, beams
- improve verbsfix, repair, improve, refine, enhance
hammer outwalk away from
Voluntarily leave a situation
give up on · abandon · rubber-stamp · deadlock · breeze through
hammer outgloss over
Minimize or conceal flaws
paper over · ignore · sidestep · avoid · evade
hammer, out, hammering, hammered, hammers, hammerhead, hammerer, hammerers