to put one's shoulder to the wheel
2
7.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
ponerse a trabajar
- You must put your shoulder to the wheel if you want to achieve your goals.
- really put our shoulders to the wheel
- got to put our shoulder to the wheel
- put our shoulder to the wheel and show
Examples
-
In order to finish the project on time, we all need to put our shoulders to the wheel and work hard.
-
Now is the time to put your shoulder to the wheel.
Blog text (21) -
Now we must all put our shoulders to the wheel.
-
Though I should clarify: my point here is not that everyone should be putting their shoulder to the wheel.
Blog text (27) -
And I never questioned that I could continue to succeed if I put my shoulder to the wheel and had a strong work ethic.
Blog text (11) -
Everyone, and I do mean everyone, put their shoulder to the wheel for one cause, and we didn't bitch about the long hours, the hard work, and the deprivation!
Blog text (34) -
As to the rest, Leonid Andromedov, having taken stock, adjusted his sights and put his shoulder to the wheel, achieved, if not peace across the board, at least a reasonable absence of strain.
Fiction book (1995) -
However, if we share AASL's vision, subscribe to the common belief statements, and know that our students need us to speak for them, then we can put our shoulders to the wheel to get the Conestoga wagon out of the rut and convert it to a futuristic transporter in order to beam our kids up to 21st-century learning.
Academic text (2009) -
The team decided to put their shoulders to the wheel to meet the deadline for the big presentation.
Synonyms
731
1.5
To try hard to achieve something, especially against difficulty
489
2.3
To try hard to get better at or finish something over time
39
5.3
To try very hard to do more than usual
14
3.5
To focus all your attention and effort on achieving something
13
8.4
Try very hard for a long time to do something
11
4.4
To start working hard and seriously after wasting time
7
6.3
To drive or work as fast as possible, often to finish something
7
4.2
Do everything you can to achieve something important
4
3.5
Try much harder to work or train
3
7.7
To try very hard to do something carefully
3
5.0
Make a lot of effort to do something
2
3.9
Do everything possible to achieve something
1
7.7
To work hard for a long time on a difficult task without stopping
1
9.7
To start working hard without delay
1
5.9
To try very hard and do anything to achieve something
1
3.6
To use a lot of energy to do a hard job for a long time
1
6.8
To work very hard and use a lot of energy
To begin working very hard and not give up on a difficult task
To work hard and continue when things are difficult
To start working quickly and seriously
Work very hard for a short time to finish a task
To work much harder and faster to get something done
To try very hard and work quickly to finish something
To work very hard at something until you are very tired
Antonyms
How Hard
39
4.1
- Informal
2
7.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
put + one + shoulder + to + the + wheel
The phrase evokes a clear physical image of placing one’s shoulder against a wheel to push, so a learner who knows 'put', 'shoulder' and 'wheel' can plausibly infer a sense of exerting force or effort. However, the conventionalized idiomatic meaning 'begin to work very hard / make a determined effort' is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure, so the expression is only partly transparent.
Etymology
Put one's shoulder to the wheel comes from the image of people pushing a heavy wheel or cart, where someone would literally press their shoulder against the wheel to make it move. That's why the phrase means 'to work hard' or 'make a determined effort'.