make short work of

Idioms  

1. Complete or consume quickly, as in The children made short work of the ice cream, or They made short work of cleaning up so they could get to the movies. This term, first recorded in 1577, in effect means “to turn something into a brief task.”

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Example Sentences

I toss the fresh vegetables and herbs in a food processor to make short work of all that chopping and then simply add the other ingredients to the processor, pulsing until the sauce is well combined.

From Washington Post

All have their merits and make short work of the catch.

From Washington Post

Shaved black truffles lend their musk to the indulgence, which smacks more of the Old World than the restaurant’s stated mission — not that I didn’t make short work of the relic.

From Washington Post

“It’s unacceptable that the Russian leadership is trying to make short work of the burgeoning protests by arresting thousands of demonstrators,” Manfred Weber, a senior German conservative and head of the centre-right EPP grouping in the EU Parliament, told Germany’s RND newspaper group.

From Reuters

German yellowjackets make short work of carcasses and rotting produce, Dr. Jandt said: “They’re really important decomposers.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• barrel
• bolt
• break
• charge
• chase
• dash
• dispatch
• fly
• hustle
• press
• push
• run
• scramble
• scurry
• shoot
• sprint
• zip