peg away at

Idioms and Phrases

Also, plug away at . Work steadily, persist, as in She pegged away at the tax return until she'd finished , or If we keep plugging away at it, the painting will soon be done . These idioms allude to the persistence required to fasten something by driving pegs or seal something by driving a plug. Peg away dates from the early 1800s plug away from the mid-1900s.