back to the salt mines
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Resume work, usually with some reluctance, as in With my slavedriver of a boss, even on Saturdays it's back to the salt mines. This term alludes to the Russian practice of punishing prisoners by sending them to work in the salt mines of Siberia. Today the term is only used ironically. [Late 1800s] Also see keep one's nose to the grindstone.
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Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
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Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Words nearby back to the salt mines
back talk, back the wrong horse, back to back, back-to-basics, back to the drawing board, back to the salt mines, back to the wall, backtrack, back-trail, backup, backup light
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.