heavy lifting

American  

[hev-ee lif-ting] / ˈhɛv i ˈlɪf tɪŋ /

noun

Informal.

1. hard work.

   A team of researchers did the heavy lifting for the author.

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Etymology

Origin of heavy lifting

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The Big Tech stocks, which had done much of the heavy lifting since the start of the current bull market in late 2022, suddenly appeared to hit a wall.

From MarketWatch

When it comes to smog, let’s not congratulate ourselves too much; it was technology that did the heavy lifting, not demanding much in the way of sacrifice or even change in our behavior.

From Los Angeles Times

But the key is the free energy you obtain by letting heat from the air outside do much of the heavy lifting in boiling the refrigerant when it is cold.

From BBC

In 2023 and 2024, the biggest stocks in the index — including members of the Magnificent Seven, a group of megacap stocks at the vanguard of the AI trade — did much of the heavy lifting.

From MarketWatch

People are not going to start quickly pickling onions and making chili jams, but they will grab an exciting bottle of mayonnaise and let it do the heavy lifting.

From The Wall Street Journal