We sweated blood to finish the report on time.
sweat blood
idiomTo work with extreme, agonising effort or to suffer intense anguish over something.
Origin
The image comes from the agony of Jesus in Gethsemane, described in Luke 22:44, where in his distress before the crucifixion his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.
The line captures anguish so severe that the body itself seems to break under it — the extreme physical sign of extreme mental torment. A rare condition in which people under great stress do sweat blood is medically documented, which gives the phrase a disconcerting literal edge.
In English to sweat blood means to labour or worry with exhausting intensity — to pour yourself into something so completely, or to agonise over it so deeply, that the effort feels physically punishing.
She sweated blood over that thesis, rewriting whole chapters in the last exhausting weeks before the deadline.
The small crew had sweated blood to keep the restaurant open through the lean years, and now, watching the full dining room, they felt the ache of every early morning and unpaid overtime that had bought this ordinary, hard-won success.
The betrayal, trial and crucifixion.
- 01
wash your hands of it (idiom)
To publicly refuse any further responsibility for something or someone.
- 02
thirty pieces of silver (idiom)
A contemptible price paid or accepted for an act of betrayal.
- 03
doubting Thomas (idiom)
One who requires proof before believing.
- 04
a cross to bear (idiom)
A heavy, ongoing personal burden or difficulty that one must carry.
- 05
a Judas kiss (idiom)
An act of betrayal disguised as friendship or affection.
- 06
a crown of thorns (idiom)
An honour or position that brings suffering rather than glory.