donkey work
Save This Word!
noun
Informal. tedious, repetitious work; drudgery.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Also don·key·work [dong-kee-wurk, dawng‐, duhng‐]. /ˈdɒŋ kiˌwɜrk, ˈdɔŋ‐, ˈdʌŋ‐/.
Origin of donkey work
First recorded in 1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
British Dictionary definitions for donkey work
donkey-work
noun
groundwork
drudgeryUS equivalent: draft-mule work
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012