make short work of

a day late and a dollar short

Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

a short drop and a sudden stop

A fall to one's death by hanging.

busy work

Work or activity performed with the intention or result of occupying time, and not necessarily to accomplish something productive; routine work of low priority undertaken for the sake of avoiding idleness.

cannot make it

Cannot reach satisfactory or expected standards or do something competently; describes someone in a hopeless situation.

caught short

unprepared or without enough of something when it is needed

close enough for government work

Adequate; acceptable as government work, imperfect but not worth the time nor effort of improving.

crazy enough to work

Acknowledging that an idea, plan, or strategy seems foolish, implausible, or risky, yet might succeed precisely because of its unconventional or unexpected nature.

detective work

investigative research