ENGLISH
REFERENCE

beaver away

idiom
Meaning

To work hard at a task.


Origin

disputed origin

From the metaphorical image of a person working as industriously as a beaver building its dam.

Examples
SIMPLE

She is beavering away at her homework.

CONTEXTUAL

The students have been beavering away at their final projects all week to meet the deadline.

COMPLEX

While the rest of the team took a long lunch, he remained at his desk, beavering away at the complex financial report until it was perfect.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    away game

    An athletic contest played away from the team's home field.

  2. 02

    away with the fairies

    Not all there; slightly crazy.

  3. 03

    bang away

    to strike or hit repeatedly

  4. 04

    bear away the bell

    To be superior in something.

  5. 05

    blaze away

    To fire (firearms) repeatedly.

  6. 06

    blow away

    To kill (someone) by shooting them with a firearm.

  7. 07

    blow the cobwebs away

    To make changes for space for new fresh ideas

  8. 08

    bottle away

    To store up or stock up.

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