beaver away at
phr. v..phr. v.. to work very hard and steadily on a task for a long time.
phr. v.. to work industriously and persistently at a specific task; implies a high level of diligence and focus over a sustained period.
She is beavering away at her homework.
He spent the entire weekend beavering away at his tax returns to meet the deadline.
The researchers have been beavering away at the data for months, hoping to find a pattern that explains the sudden shift in climate.
- Particles
- away at
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- beaver + away + at + object
usually followed by 'at' plus a noun or a gerund indicating the task.
this is an idiomatic phrasal verb based on the animal's reputation for being busy; it is more informal than 'toil' but more descriptive than 'work hard'.
He is beavering at his project.He is beavering away at his project.the particle 'away' is necessary to convey the sense of continuous, hard work.