Idiom
keep your nose to the grindstone
Meanings
To work very hard and continuously, staying focused and not taking many breaks.
Definition
To keep your nose to the grindstone means to work very hard and steadily for a long time.
If you keep your nose to the grindstone, you focus on your work and continue working without getting distracted. It suggests sustained effort over time, often with few breaks or little relaxation. People use it to describe studying, building a career, or finishing a difficult project.
Examples
- I kept my nose to the grindstone all week to finish the report before the deadline.
- You’ll make real progress if you keep your nose to the grindstone and ignore the office gossip.
- She kept her nose to the grindstone during exam season, turning down invitations until her finals were over.
- They kept their noses to the grindstone for months, refining the prototype until it finally worked reliably.
Common mistake
Learners often say "keep my nose to the grindstone" when addressing someone, but the pronoun should match the person (e.g., "keep your nose to the grindstone").
More at C1 level
- Monday morning quarterback A "Monday morning quarterback" is someone who criticizes or judges a decision after the outcome is …
- close but no cigar Used to say someone almost succeeded but did not quite achieve the goal.
- come hell or high water Used to emphasize that you will do something no matter what difficulties happen.
- brass monkeys “Brass monkeys” is used in the phrase “cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey,” meaning…
- get down to brass tacks To get down to brass tacks means to start talking about the most important, practical details of so…
More idioms
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- close but no cigar Used to say someone almost succeeded but did not quite achieve the goal.
- down to the wire Used to say something is decided or finished only at the last possible moment.
- lost the plot To become confused or behave in a way that no longer makes sense.
- ducks in a row To have everything organized and ready for action.