elbow grease

No matter the season, no matter the baker’s skill level, no matter the style of cake, there will inevitably be a delirious scramble to cool a cake through the velocity of a baking sheet and the sheer power of elbow grease.
Does That Crazy Sheet Pan Waving Trick on the ‘Great British Bake-Off’ Actually Work?|Dayna Evans|November 23, 2021|Eater
As you could probably guess, the big difference between these two options is how much elbow grease you feel like putting into grinding your beans.
Best coffee grinder: Start your morning right with the best cup of joe|Carla Sosenko|August 26, 2021|Popular-Science
The tools don’t require batteries—they run on elbow grease—which is fine for a basic repair kit.
Best tool combo kits: Take on any project with these power tool sets|Florie Korani|August 14, 2021|Popular-Science
High-pressure concentrated steam wipes out dirt with no additional cleaning solvent or elbow grease required.
Best steam cleaner: For floors and furniture that look close to new|PopSci Commerce Team|March 5, 2021|Popular-Science

There was an old adage to the effect that some imaginary substance called elbow grease was necessary in kneading bread.
A Course of Lectures on the Principles of Domestic Economy and Cookery|Juliet Corson
There it is; that's Injun tan, an' I hope you see that elbow grease is the main thing in tannin'.
Two Little Savages|Ernest Thompson Seton
"Laws, honey, dey need elbow-grease," and the old woman laughed heartily.
A Little Girl in Old New York|Amanda Millie Douglas
"Put a little more elbow grease to it," continued the burnisher's wife.
Vandover and the Brute|Frank Norris
The elbow-grease of thinking was always distasteful to him, and had no doubt been so when he conceived and carried out this work.
Thackeray|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for elbow grease

elbow grease

noun

facetious vigorous physical labour, esp hard rubbing

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

Cultural definitions for elbow grease

elbow grease

Strenuous physical effort: “If you're going to get this job done, you'll need to apply a little elbow grease.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with elbow grease

elbow grease

Strenuous physical effort, as in You'll have to use some elbow grease to get the house painted in time. This term alludes to vigorous use of one's arm in cleaning, polishing, or the like. It soon was extended to any kind of hard work, and Anthony Trollope used it still more figuratively (Thackeray, 1874): “Forethought is the elbow-grease which a novelist ... requires.” [First half of 1600s]

elbow grease

Origin of elbow grease

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How to use elbow grease in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for elbow grease

Cultural definitions for elbow grease

Other Idioms and Phrases with elbow grease