English Expressions and Idioms with "Work" & Exercise

Idioms and Expressions With "Work"

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

1. I'm afraid we have to .... The report is due the day after tomorrow.
   1. work out for the best
   2. work it over
   3. work against the clock
   4. make hard work of it
2. Being a single parent, she has to ... to support her children.
   1. work her over
   2. get worked up
   3. work out for the best
   4. work like a horse
3. We only have 10 minutes. You'd better ... of it.
   1. make fast work
   2. make hard work
   3. work away
   4. work out
4. Dealing with customers' complaints is ... for her. It's part of her job.
   1. a work of art
   2. all in a day's work
   3. a work out
   4. dirty work
5. I think you should go out and have some fun. ....
   1. Don't work against the clock.
   2. Make hard work of it.
   3. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
   4. Throw a monkey wrench in the works.
6. The medicine has ... with him. He is recovering.
   1. worked over
   2. worked wonders
   3. worked up
   4. work away
7. Despite of my carelessness, I was lucky that everything ....
   1. worked against the clock
   2. worked me over
   3. worked out for the best
   4. worked away
8. The room redecoration finished two days before the event. Although the time was short, it was ....
   1. working up
   2. a work-away
   3. close enough for government work
   4. a work-over
9. What does the idiom 'All in a day's work' mean?
   1. An extraordinary achievement
   2. A usual part of the job
   3. A difficult task
   4. A fun activity
10. What does 'Get down to work' imply?
    1. To begin serious work
    2. To start relaxing
    3. To take a break
    4. To finish quickly
11. What does 'Work against the clock' mean?
    1. To take a long break
    2. To work slowly
    3. To work with a deadline
    4. To work without any pressure
12. What does 'Make short work of something' mean?
    1. To struggle with a task
    2. To procrastinate
    3. To finish something quickly
    4. To avoid work
13. What does 'Work like a horse' imply?
    1. To work very hard
    2. To work in a team
    3. To work slowly
    4. To avoid work
14. What does 'Work wonders' mean?
    1. To be unproductive
    2. To cause problems
    3. To work very hard
    4. To be very helpful
15. What does 'Make short work of something' mean?
    1. To struggle with a task
    2. To procrastinate
    3. To finish something quickly
    4. To work carelessly

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Reference: The Free Dictionary