# yeoman's service

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/yeomans-service
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Arduous work, performed in a vigorous, committed manner.

## Examples

- The volunteers did yeoman's service cleaning up the park today.
- You do yeoman's service by keeping the office records so organized.
- The IT team performs yeoman's service whenever the company servers crash.
- Our assistant did yeoman's service during the busy season, working late every night to ensure we finished the project on time.
- The local nurses performed yeoman's service during the flu outbreak, treating hundreds of patients while the clinic was short-staffed.
- My old truck gave yeoman's service for twenty years, carrying heavy loads across the country without ever breaking down.
- Throughout the long and difficult campaign, the dedicated staff performed yeoman's service, tirelessly managing every detail to secure the final victory.

## Origin

The phrase is an allusion to the stouthearted and dutiful labour performed by a yeoman, a social class of land-owning commoners in the English feudal system. It denotes reliable, efficient work of a standard expected from a freeholder whose primary obligation was loyal service.

---

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.