Idiom
elbow grease
Meanings
Hard physical effort, especially used to clean or scrub something thoroughly.
Determined hands-on work needed to improve, repair, or complete something.
Definition
Hard physical effort used to clean, fix, or make something work well.
Elbow grease means using a lot of hard physical work, especially when cleaning or repairing something. It suggests that the job will not be done by a quick trick or a product alone. People often say it to emphasize effort and persistence rather than ease.
Examples
- This stove will shine again, but it takes elbow grease.
- We saved money by repainting the room with a little elbow grease.
- No shortcut fixed it—just elbow grease and patience.
- The old table looked new after some elbow grease.
- Cleaning the grout requires elbow grease, not just soap.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share a quick update or confirm plans.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to tease someone or make fun of them in a not-too-serious way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.