nose to the grindstone
4
6.3
- idiom
- Informal
- It always amazes me how I manage to zip to the top of the heap in some new endeavor simply by putting my nose to the grindstone.
- put your nose to the grindstone
- keep your nose to the grindstone
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Watch on YouTubeHe ignored me, you know, I was a peon and I just nose to the grindstone for the next couple of years down there.
- He ignored me, you know, I was a peon and I just nose to the grindstone for the next couple of years down there.
- You might, if you're a conservative, you know, nose to the grindstone kind of scientist, say, well, maybe you just missed it.
- I'm going to be with, you know, with my nose to the grindstone until it's time to totally relax shortly before the, the Christmas holiday begins.
Examples
-
Throughout the semester, he kept his nose to the grindstone, studying late into the night to achieve his academic goals.
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You must put your nose to the grindstone to make good.
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You had to keep your nose to the grindstone and your shoulder to the wheel.
Fiction book (1999) -
Yes, Finch, if you work hard, keep your nose to the grindstone, there's no telling how far you can go with this company.
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"Hard work, nose to the grindstone, twenty-hour days, luck, and marry the boss's daughter.
Fiction book (2002) -
But just that working harder and putting your nose to the grindstone more aggressively, reliably induces better performance.
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To succeed in his career, he needs to keep his nose to the grindstone and stay dedicated to his work.
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She decided to put her nose to the grindstone during the final weeks of the project to ensure it was completed on time.
Synonyms
44
3.7
To work hard for a long time at a dull or repeated task
18
6.7
To work hard for a long time on a task that is difficult or tiring
11
6.0
To do very hard, long tasks until you are very tired
8
3.4
Spend a lot of time doing hard, tiring tasks
3
4.8
To work hard for a long time on something
3
6.3
Work hard for a long time on something, often before an exam or deadline
To work hard for a long time on a difficult task without stopping
To work hard and continue when things are difficult
Do very hard, long jobs until you are very tired
Antonyms
How Hard
25
3.5
- Informal
7
5.1
- Informal
4
6.3
439
1.6
113
2.1
- Informal
431
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
nose + to + the + grindstone
The image of putting one's 'nose' to a 'grindstone' creates a metaphorical link to sustained, focused effort (grindstone as a tool for continual grinding), so there is partial compositional motivation from the parts. However, the idiomatic sense 'work hard continuously' is not fully predictable from the literal words alone—the cultural/metaphorical mapping (and the relatively low salience of 'grindstone') means a B1 learner would likely only partially infer the meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Nose to the grindstone may come from old workshops where people sharpened tools on a large turning stone. They had to bend close and keep their nose near the grindstone to keep working, so the phrase came to mean 'to work hard'.