sweat of one's brow
Earned through effort
The sweat of one's brow is hard physical or mental labor—work that costs real effort.
The phrase comes from the biblical curse on Adam, condemned to earn bread by the sweat of his face.
It emphasizes that something was achieved through personal toil rather than luck, inheritance, or exploitation: Everything I have, I earned by the sweat of my brow.
- accomplishmentSuccessful completion of aim
- exertionVigorous physical effort
- toilStrenuous, prolonged effort
- elbow greaseStrenuous physical effort
- diligenceCareful, persistent effort
nose to grindstone · hustle · self-reliance · work · honest living · daily bread · harvest · earnings · success · grit · grind · profit · industriousness · perseverance · endurance · self-made · drudgery · manual labor
sweat of one's browtrust fund
Assets held for another
inheritance · silver spoon · birthright · windfall · unearned income
sweat of one's browfree ride
Benefit without cost
something for nothing · freebies · entitlement · privilege · coasting
sweat of one's broweasy money
Profit gained effortlessly
something for nothing · free lunch · manna from heaven · stroke of luck · windfall
sweat, brow, sweater, sweaty, sweating, eyebrow, sweats, brows, perspiration