nose to grindstone
Steadily toiling away
To keep one's nose to the grindstone is to work hard and steadily, especially at tedious or demanding tasks.
The image is of a blade sharpener bent over a rotating stone, face close to the work.
The phrase usually appears with keep or put: She kept her nose to the grindstone all semester.
It emphasizes persistent effort rather than bursts of inspiration.
- hardworkingCommitted to sustained effort
- hard workSustained strenuous effort
- diligentPersistently attentive to tasks
- work ethicDedication to doing one's job
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
blood sweat tears · sweat · perseverance · buckle down · hustle · put in work · labor · roll up sleeves · dedication · persistence · relentless · slog · long hours · overtime · tireless · industrious · elbow grease · plugging away
- workjob, 9 to 5, jobs, labor, employee
- focusfocus, concentration, attention, focal point, concentrate
- laborlabor, labor union, work, labor force, laborers
- burnoutburned out, burnt out, burn out, burning out, burnout
- Hard Workhustle, toil, effort, labor, drudgery
- perseverancepersist, never give up, tenacity, hang in there, endurance
nose to grindstoneslacking off
Neglecting responsibilities deliberately
loafing · goofing off · shirking · idling · malingering
nose to grindstoneat leisure
Unoccupied and unhurried
taking it easy · kicking back · relaxing · on vacation · chilling out
nose to grindstonedistracted
Unable to concentrate
daydreaming · unfocused · woolgathering · head in the clouds · scatterbrained
nose, grindstone, noses, nosed, nosing, grind, stone, grinds, ground