Elbow Grease.
English
idiom
Hard physical effort.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
Hard physical effort.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
The physical effort and hard work you put into getting a task done.
When you apply elbow grease to something, you use real hands-on effort — no shortcuts or tricks.
It's used when a job requires genuine sustained effort rather than a quick fix.
"Sweat Equity"
—
Value someone builds through their own labor, usually in a business or property
"Hard Graft"
—
Sustained, difficult work over a long period of time (mainly British English)
"Elbow Grease"
—
Direct physical effort and hands-on hard work applied to a task
How do we realistically get all of this done by Friday?
Elbow grease — everyone puts in the hours and we get it done.
The stain won't come out no matter what I try.
You need some real elbow grease — scrub it hard with the right cleaner.
The garden looks absolutely amazing — how did you do it?
Mostly elbow grease — every weekend for about two months straight.
