in the trenches
Amid the fighting
In the trenches means directly engaged in difficult, unglamorous work—the kind done at ground level rather than from a position of oversight.
The phrase comes from trench warfare, where soldiers endured brutal conditions.
Now it describes anyone doing hands-on labor: She's been in the trenches with customers for twenty years.
Often contrasted with management or leadership roles removed from daily operations.
- warfareArmed conflict between groups
- front linesActive battle area
- frontlinesCombat's forward edge
- soldiersMilitary personnel who fight
- rank and fileOrdinary members collectively
mud · combat · hand to hand · boots · battle · dugout · shellfire · barbed wire · no man's land · in the thick of it · gritty · foxhole · boots on the ground · hands-on · grinding · dirty work · down and dirty · heavy lifting
- labor idiomsnose to the grindstone, burning the midnight oil, pull your weight, crunch time, work like a dog
- conflictclash, fight, war, battle, dispute
- conflictsargument, fight, war, battle, dispute
- perseverancepersist, never give up, tenacity, hang in there, endurance
- participationjoin in, take part, membership, attendance, voting
- military slangFUBAR, hoorah, devil dog, SNAFU, GI
in the trenchesarmchair
Upholstered seat with supports
on the sidelines · above the fray · hands-off · theoretical · detached
in the trenchesat the top
above the fray · at the helm · calling the shots · top brass · brass
in the trenchessheltered
Kept safe from harm
cushy · comfortable · insulated · safe and sound · out of harm's way
trench, trenches, trenched, trenching, entrenched, entrench, entrenchment, retrench, retrenchment