elbow grease
Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, such as scrubbing.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“This floor needs some elbow grease to get clean.”
“He put in hours of elbow grease to restore the old wooden table.”
“The antique dealer explained that no chemical could replace the patient elbow grease required to bring the brass fittings back to their original shine.”
- 01
bend one's elbow
To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.
- 02
elbow mentality
An attitude characterized by self-interest and a willingness to prioritize personal benefit or ambition, often above the welfare of an organization or community; a willingness to elbow (verb) past others.
- 03
grease monkey
A mechanic, often with the specific connotation of an automobile mechanic.
- 04
grease payment
A bribe or extorted money, usually relatively small in amount, provided to a low-level government official or business person, in order to expedite a business decision, shipment, or other transaction, especially in a country where such payments are not unusual.
- 05
grease someone's palm
To bribe a person.
- 06
grease the skids
To create conditions likely to produce or hasten favorable future developments.
- 07
grease the wheels
To create conditions likely to produce or hasten favorable future developments.
- 08
rub elbows
To associate closely; to consort, mingle, or socialize.
Last updated August 10, 2026