# elbow grease

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/elbow-grease
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Effort or hard work, especially physical work involving repeated motion of the forearm, such as scrubbing.

## Examples

- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.