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

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

If you prepared a baklava with love, it could do the heavy lifting of an apology.

From Literature

Freeze citrus peels, berries, fresh herbs or edible flowers into ice cubes and let them do the heavy lifting.

From Salon

With valuations high, earnings growth will have to do the heavy lifting to drive the market.

From Barron's