all the hours God sends

9.9

Do something, especially work, for very long periods without rest

idiom

: todas las horas que Dios manda

He studies all the hours God sends during exam season, hardly taking a break.

Examples

She works all the hours God sends to support her family.
The nurses were on duty all the hours God sends during the emergency.
She worked all the hours God sends to finish her project by the deadline.
He is studying all the hours God sends for his final exams.
She is always busy, working all the hours God sends to finish her project on time.
With so much work to do, he stayed up late, putting in all the hours God sends.
During tax season, accountants often work all the hours God sends to meet deadlines.

Synonyms

always

vsall the hours God sends

∞ 1.0

On every occasion without exception

narrows this to working constantly during every available moment rather than general continuity

all the time

vsall the hours God sends

∞ 1.0

Happens without stopping

adds the sense of working every available moment, not only general continuity

all day

vsall the hours God sends

∞ 1.0

During the whole day without stopping

implies using every free moment for work rather than only daytime duration

around the clock

vsall the hours God sends

59 3.0

Happens all day and all night without stopping

emphasizes nonstop effort especially work during every spare moment

round-the-clock

vsall the hours God sends

24 3.9

Happening all day and all night without stopping

focuses more on constant hard work during every free instant

around-the-clock

vsall the hours God sends

8 3.2

Happening all day and night without stopping

highlights working at every available minute rather than just continuous timing

every second of the day

vsall the hours God sends

Informal

1 2.5

All the time without stopping

stresses active effort in those moments, often work rather than general presence

twenty-five/eight

vsall the hours God sends

Informal

9.9

Working all the time without rest

expresses the same nonstop idea but more about using every spare minute

every hour God sends

vsall the hours God sends

Archaic

7.5

As often as possible

means continuous work in every spare moment rather than frequent but separate times

Antonyms

to relax

∞ 1.0

To feel less nervous and more calm

to take a break

496 1.4

To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing

How Often

all the hours God sends

9.9

constantly

740 1.0

often

∞ 1.0

sometimes

∞ 1.0

occasionally

438 2.0

Surface Forms

all the hours God sends main

Morphology

all + the + hours + God + sends

The literal parts ('all', 'hours', 'God', 'sends') allow a learner to infer a meaning like 'every hour that God gives', so the general idea of working at all available times is partially recoverable from constituents. However, the phrasing is somewhat idiomatic/archaic and relies on cultural/biblical wording, so the emphatic sense of continuous, tireless work may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

All the hours God sends may come from the image that God 'sends' people hours to use, so someone working 'all the hours God sends' is using every hour given to them. That's why it means 'working all the time'.