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Everyone knows the presidential candidates and has an opinion about them. But as you get to smaller races, that evaporates and you can win through sheer elbow grease.
Joe Green

Meaning of "elbow grease" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF ELBOW GREASE

elbow grease play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF ELBOW GREASE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Elbow grease is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES ELBOW GREASE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Elbow grease

Elbow grease is an idiom for working hard at manual labour, as in "You need to use some elbow grease." It is a humorous reflection of the fact that some tasks can only be achieved by hard effort and human energy, contrasting with the idea that there should be some special oil, tool or chemical product to make the job easier. It has also been used as a practical joke by a master tradesperson on apprentices, e.g. "Go fetch some elbow grease from him." Each tradesperson will say someone else has the elbow grease and send the unwitting apprentice on to another master tradesperson. The snipe hunt will continue until the apprentice gives up, catches on or runs out of people/places to search. In the United States Navy, the "Elbow Grease" prank has a practical purpose. It requires collusion between senior petty officers and the Supply Department. A young sailor is given an official supply requisition for "Grease, Elbow" by his supervisor. The supply clerks send him from one store room to another on the ship, then the last store room clerk informs the sailor that he just yesterday issued the last tub of "elbow grease" to the engine room.

Definition of elbow grease in the English dictionary

The definition of elbow grease in the dictionary is vigorous physical labour, esp hard rubbing.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ELBOW GREASE

elaterite
elaterium
Elath
elation
elative
Elba
Elbe
Elbert
Elbing
elbow
elbow joint
elbow room
elbow-rest
elbowroom
Elbrus
Elburz Mountains
Elche
elchee
eld
elder

WORDS THAT END LIKE ELBOW GREASE

axle grease
bowling crease
candle grease
cost-of-living increase
crease
decrease
degrease
disease
goal crease
grease
increase
on the increase
pay increase
popping crease
prease
reincrease
salary increase
tax increase
urease
wage increase
wool grease

Synonyms and antonyms of elbow grease in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «elbow grease» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF ELBOW GREASE

Find out the translation of elbow grease to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of elbow grease from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «elbow grease» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

苦劳
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

grasa del codo
570 millions of speakers

English

elbow grease
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

जिला
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

كدح
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

жир локтя
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

graxa de cotovelo
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কনুইর চর্বিজ পদার্থ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

d´huile de coude
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

kerja keras
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Ellenbogen Fett
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

きつい仕事
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

팔꿈치 그리스
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Grease elbow
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

dầu mỡ khuỷu tay
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

எல்போ கிரீஸ்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

कोपर झाकण
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

el emeği
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

olio di gomito
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

smar łokieć
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

жир ліктя
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

grăsime cot
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αγκώνα γράσο
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

elmboog ghries
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

armbåge fett
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

albue fett
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of elbow grease

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ELBOW GREASE»

The term «elbow grease» is regularly used and occupies the 79.685 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
63
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «elbow grease» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of elbow grease
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «elbow grease».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ELBOW GREASE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «elbow grease» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «elbow grease» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about elbow grease

EXAMPLES

2 QUOTES WITH «ELBOW GREASE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word elbow grease.
1
Ava DuVernay
When I'm marketing a film, whether its mine or someone else's, I work with a great deal of strategy and elbow grease until the job is done.
2
Joe Green
Everyone knows the presidential candidates and has an opinion about them. But as you get to smaller races, that evaporates and you can win through sheer elbow grease.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ELBOW GREASE»

Discover the use of elbow grease in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to elbow grease and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Ajax and Elbow Grease
To protect Clara, John turns himself in. Set in the heartland of America, AJAX AND ELBOW GREASE is a work of fiction that portrays the conflict between a man and his mother, who learns that her son no longer belongs to only her.
David Estes, 2012
2
Weekly World News
10 EVEN domestic help has been impacted by cost] or elbow grease, switching between lard and butter as substitutes. By NIGEL FLEMING VAN NUYS, Calif. - Wendy Spangler just. COLUMBIA, S.C. — As attorneys, Frank Dorian's parents ...
3
Give Him Time
Determined to do the job just like his coach had instructed, our sandlotter asked his mother, “Mom, do you have any elbow grease?” Her reply was natural: “Do I have any what? The coach told us to use elbow grease on our helmets to get ...
Charles G. Fuller, 2009
4
Oxford Handbook of Human Action
CHAPTER Elbow Grease: When Action Feels Like Work 27 Jesse Preston and Daniel M.Wegner Abstract This chapter examines the experience of effort across different domains of exertion: physical exertion, mental concentration,and ...
Ezequiel Morsella Assistant Professor of Social Cognitive Neuroscience San Francisco State University, John A. Bargh Professor of Psychology Yale, Peter M. Gollwitzer Professor of Psychology New York University, 2008
5
The Complete Guide to Guitar and Amp Maintenance
... have a bit of abrasive in them. My favorite nonabrasive pobsh is Martin Guitar Polish. The simplest way to clean a guitar is to breathe on it and wipe it down with some elbow grease and a gui- Poliahes tar polishing cloth (one of those yellow ...
Ritchie Fliegler, 1994
6
Exploring Idioms: A Critical-Thinking Resource for Grades 4-8
Elbow. Grease. Definition: Working hard at something, especially actively using one's hands and arms for cleaning. Background: Elbow grease has been used idiomatically since the 1600s. It was first used as an unsophisticated phrase for ...
Valeri R. Helterbran, 2008
7
The House On the Hill-Lake District Revisited: Liverpool ...
One day, Matron sent me to the village to the hardware store to buy some elbow Grease. I walked the three miles and arrived at the shop. everyone knew we were from the orphanage from the clothes we wore. The shopkeeper asked what I ...
Grenda Walton, 2011
8
Grandmother Used to Say
Grandmother used to say—elbow grease gives the best polish. My mind boggles at the myriad cleaning products on the market. Grandmother scrubbed everything from the clothes to the walls with lye soap and elbow grease. Now we have ...
Audrey Thibodeau, 2007
9
Mothballs and Elbow Grease
From the origins of words like 'charwoman' and 'pantry' to those turns of phrase which have acquired a broader meaning, such as 'handle with kid gloves' and 'it will all come out in the wash', this fascinating book pieces together the ...
National Trust (Great Britain), 2011
10
Mad as a Wet Hen!: And Other Funny Idioms
"Put a little elbow grease into this job!" Work extra-hard. "Elbow grease" is an old slang expression for "sweat." Today we put a little "elbow grease" into any hard job that requires a lot of arm motions like scrubbing, hammering, or sawing.
Marvin Terban, 1987

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ELBOW GREASE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term elbow grease is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Rod Picott Gets Down And Dirty With New Single “Elbow Grease
Be sure to listen to “Elbow Grease” below. Why did you choose “Elbow Grease” as the first single for the album? Well, I suppose it's because in ... «American Songwriter, Jul 15»
2
Big Bear A-Frame Stuck in the '70s Awaits Your Restoration
... matching brown-colored appliances will soothe the soul of any 70s diehard. With a bit of elbow grease this classic A-frame could really shine. «Curbed LA, Jul 15»
3
Original Wyoming Capitol History Uncovered
Cheyenne, WY (KGWN)- With a little bit of sweat and elbow grease the history of the Wyoming capitol is being rediscovered. "We're targeting ... «KGWN, Jul 15»
4
Channel 4's How to Get a Council House is infuriating and …
... dog shit in the yard and apply a little elbow grease to the bathroom and kitchen, all would be well, what he got was abuse and indignation. «New Statesman, Jul 15»
5
High Street parking issue highly tense at council meeting
And become a massive frustration for the community, as the centre was the focus of volunteer elbow grease and out of pocket donations to ... «Caledon Enterprise, Jul 15»
6
Fresh meat delivered to parking lots, cuts out middle man
But the bargain comes at a cost: some elbow grease. Customer Liza Ford pulls up and agrees to show us the rest of the deal. "The chicken ... «FOX 13 Tampa Bay, WTVT-TV, Jul 15»
7
Why women in Uganda don't care about work-life balance
... her that injustice in this world can be defeated with a little bit of elbow grease and a can-do attitude (a few dollars wouldn't go astray either.). «StartupSmart, Jul 15»
8
Letter Writer Misinterprets President Obama
Roger Penske is a billionaire who got his start from his wife's father, Stouffer of Stouffer foods, but Roger's ideas and elbow grease made him a ... «Cape May County Herald, Jul 15»
9
Idina Menzel Stopping in Virgina on World Tour
As always, Menzel is not afraid of a little hard work and elbow grease. She described people in the theater as athletes who train, stretch and ... «On Tap Magazine, Jul 15»
10
Beauty Hacks: 5 easy steps to help save your melting makeup
Take caution with these mists, as they can make your makeup last up to 16 hours and require a bit of elbow grease to remove. Barose says that ... «Pulse Nigeria, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Elbow grease [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/elbow-grease>. Apr 2024 ».
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