elbow grease

noun

1. strenuous physical exertion:

   a job requiring elbow grease.

elbow grease

noun

1. facetious.
   vigorous physical labour, esp hard rubbing

elbow grease

1. Strenuous physical effort: “If you're going to get this job done, you'll need to apply a little elbow grease.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of elbow grease¹

First recorded in 1630–40

Idioms and Phrases

Strenuous physical effort, as in You'll have to use some elbow grease to get the house painted in time . This term alludes to vigorous use of one's arm in cleaning, polishing, or the like. It soon was extended to any kind of hard work, and Anthony Trollope used it still more figuratively ( Thackeray , 1874): “Forethought is the elbow-grease which a novelist ... requires.” [First half of 1600s]

Example Sentences

Removing a popcorn ceiling can be messy and tedious, but with proper planning, safety precautions and some elbow grease, you can transform an outdated texture and reveal a clean, smooth surface.

From Seattle Times

His quick progression separates him from others his guitar coach, Matt Benham, has taught, and a big part of that is elbow grease.

From Seattle Times

“Good things turn into bad, bad things turn good. So it all works out with a little elbow grease.”

From Los Angeles Times

Even though, yes, you may need a bit more elbow grease that you typically associate with weeknight cooking, I've never grasped why risotto has become such a culinary bogeyman for so many people.

From Salon

“It seems like magic, but of course there’s all this elbow grease that’s gone into the recognition.”

From Washington Post