elbow grease

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

hard physical effort and energetic manual labour, particularly the kind that involves sustained scrubbing, polishing, or forceful manual action rather than the application of tools, technology, or other people's assistance; the phrase humorously treats the effort exerted by a vigorously working elbow joint as a lubricant or facilitating substance, analogous to actual mechanical grease that reduces friction and enables smooth operation; it is used to emphasise that certain tasks cannot be accomplished by any shortcut other than putting in the necessary physical effort directly, and it often carries an approving connotation suggesting that willingness to apply elbow grease is itself a virtue