donkey work
Americannoun
noun
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groundwork
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US equivalent: draft-mule work. drudgery
Etymology
Origin of donkey work
First recorded in 1915–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Donkeys and donkey work are essential to the livelihoods of people in developing countries, but elsewhere donkeys have all but disappeared.
From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2023
Most parenting, especially in the early days, is donkey work.
From The Guardian • May 13, 2017
This seems an excellent use of a computer to do the donkey work for us, but unfortunately it does not get rid of all the labor.
From Scientific American • Aug. 23, 2011
A product tester's responses to a TV advert are automatically decoded by ThirdSight's software But this obstacle could soon be removed, by allowing computers to do most of the donkey work.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2011
My friend gives her name because she married a lord, but I'm to do the donkey work.
From The Sailor by Snaith, J. C.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
