work into the ground
To exhaust through heavy labour.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The boss works his staff into the ground every single day.”
“The company took on too many projects and worked the entire team into the ground to meet the deadline.”
“Despite the promise of a promotion, the manager continued to work his subordinates into the ground until they were physically and mentally exhausted.”
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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.
- 02
close enough for government work
Adequate; acceptable as government work, imperfect but not worth the time nor effort of improving.
- 03
common ground
A characteristic or interest shared by multiple people or systems; any belief, etc. held in common.
- 04
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.
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detective work
investigative research
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dirty work
One or more unpleasant tasks, assignments, or employment duties, especially those of a disreputable or illicit nature.
- 07
do the work
To take part in social justice activism; to fight against racism, oppression, etc.
- 08
don't call me sir, I work for a living
Used by senior enlisted military personnel to indicate that they are not commissioned officers.
Last updated August 10, 2026