Idiom | Meaning | Examples |
---|---|---|
All in a day's work | A usual part of the job / routine; nothing special. | Air raids and artillery barrages were all in a day's work for the soldiers. |
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy | You need to have fun in order to be a happy, healthy person. | Go out and have fun! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. |
Close (good) enough for government work | Done just well enough. | There was little time left, but it was good enough for government work. |
Dirty work | Necessary, but uninteresting, or difficult work. Dishonest or underhanded actions; treachery. | Everybody knows about all the dirty work they do in that project. |
Get down to work / business | To stop relaxing; start to seriously conduct business. | We're running behind schedule. Now, stop joking and let's get down to work! |
Get worked up (over something) | To become angry / annoyed / agitated about something. | He seemed to get worked up over the new policy. |
Make short /fast / light work of something | To finish something quickly | He made short work of his breakfast so that he would not be late for work. |
Make hard work of (doing) something | To work in a way which makes it more difficult than it should be | The repair took a long time because they made hard work of it. |
Work against the clock | To work fast because there is a limited period of time to do something | We had to work against the clock since the deadline was very close. |
Work away (at something) | To continue to work industriously at something | They kept working away despite of the rain. |
Work like a horse/a slave/a beaver/a mule | To work very hard | He was exhausted after having to work like a horse all day. |
Work out for the best | To finish well | Don't worry. Things will work out for the best. |
Work someone or something over | To give someone or something a thorough examination. | The doctor worked my father over but couldn't find anything wrong. |
Throw a monkey wrench in the works | To cause a disturbance in something that seems clear and understandable | Let's talk to him about our plan. I'm sure he won't throw a monkey wrench in the works. |
Work wonders (with someone or something) | To be very helpful with someone or something | The new coach has worked wonders with the team. They have won five matches fo far. |
Exercise
- I'm afraid we have to .... The report is due the day after tomorrow.
- work out for the best
- work it over
- work against the clock
- make hard work of it
- Being a single parent, she has to ... to support her children.
- work her over
- get worked up
- work out for the best
- work like a horse
- We only have 10 minutes. You'd better ... of it.
- make fast work
- make hard work
- work away
- work out
- Dealing with customers' complaints is ... for her. It's part of her job.
- a work of art
- all in a day's work
- a work out
- dirty work
- I think you should go out and have some fun. ....
- Don't work against the clock.
- Make hard work of it.
- All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
- Throw a monkey wrench in the works.
- The medicine has ... with him. He is recovering.
- worked over
- worked wonders
- worked up
- work away
- Despite of my carelessness, I was lucky that everything ....
- worked against the clock
- worked me over
- worked out for the best
- worked away
- The room redecoration finished two days before the event. Although the time was short, it was ....
- working up
- a work-away
- close enough for government work
- a work-over
- What does the idiom 'All in a day's work' mean?
- An extraordinary achievement
- A usual part of the job
- A difficult task
- A fun activity
- What does 'Get down to work' imply?
- To begin serious work
- To start relaxing
- To take a break
- To finish quickly
- What does 'Work against the clock' mean?
- To take a long break
- To work slowly
- To work with a deadline
- To work without any pressure
- What does 'Make short work of something' mean?
- To struggle with a task
- To procrastinate
- To finish something quickly
- To avoid work
- What does 'Work like a horse' imply?
- To work very hard
- To work in a team
- To work slowly
- To avoid work
- What does 'Work wonders' mean?
- To be unproductive
- To cause problems
- To work very hard
- To be very helpful
- What does 'Make short work of something' mean?
- To struggle with a task
- To procrastinate
- To finish something quickly
- To work carelessly
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