Antonyms for put one's nose to the grindstone
| Grammar : Verb |
| Spell : grahynd-stohn |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈgraɪndˌstoʊn |
Definition of put one's nose to the grindstone
Origin :- early 13c. "millstone," from grind (v.) in sense of "sharpen" + stone (n.); meaning "revolving stone disc used for sharpening, etc." is from c.1400. Phrase nose to the grindstone in use by 1530s; originally to get control of another and treat him harshly:
- This Text holdeth their noses so hard to the grindstone, that it clean disfigureth their Faces. [John Frith, "Mirror to know Thyself," 1532]
- The main modern (reflective) sense of "work hard" is from 1828.
- As in buckle down : verb work very hard
- As in : verb work doggedly
Synonyms for put one's nose to the grindstone
- address
- apply oneself
- attend to
- bend
- concentrate on
- dedicate oneself to
- devote oneself to
- exert oneself
- get serious
- give
- give oneself over to
- hammer away
- keep close to
- keep one's mind on
- keep one's shoulder to the wheel
- knuckle down
- launch into
- occupy oneself with
- peg away
- pitch in
- plug away
- plunge into
- put one's hand to the plow
- put one's nose to the grindstone
- set to
- struggle on
- swing into action
- take the bull by the horns
- throw
- turn
- wade through
- work hard
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019