Introduction
Here’s a phrase that describes honest hard physical work. It’s elbow grease.
Transcript
Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, with me Feifei…
Phil
And me, Phil. We have an expression which is about hard work, especially if it’s physically quite hard – it’s ‘elbow grease’.
Feifei
‘Elbow grease’. I think you should give us an example of how to use it, Phil.
Phil
OK, my car is absolutely filthy. I need to get it clean – it’s hard work and there are some bits that won’t be easy to clean, but with a bit of elbow grease, I can get it done.
Feifei
It’s amazing what you can achieve with a bit of elbow grease!
Phil
Yes. Sometimes hard work can be satisfying. I thought digging up my garden was going to be a horrible job, but with a bit of elbow grease, I got it done fairly quickly.
Feifei
People are always looking for the easy way out, but sometimes the only way to get something done is good, old-fashioned elbow grease.
Phil
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of hard work. Let’s hear some more examples.
Examples
The kitchen looks sparkling now, but it took a lot of elbow grease to get there!
The sports teams are only successful because of the elbow grease put in by the volunteers, coaches and organisers.
You call those shoes polished? You need a bit more elbow grease than that!
Feifei
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and we are learning the expression ‘elbow grease’, which means ‘hard, usually physical work’. It’s often used to talk about the effort needed to clean things well.
Phil
Yes, that’s probably the most common context, and we also often use it because we think that hard work is a good, honest thing – it’s seen as positive.
Feifei
It’s often used by people who think you shouldn’t be afraid of a bit of ‘elbow grease’. In fact, we often use ‘a bit’ or ‘a little’ in front of it, to suggest that this kind of hard work shouldn’t be too much for people.
Phil
Anyway, it’s taken quite a bit of elbow grease to record this episode, so I think I need to go and have a rest.
Feifei
You call that elbow grease? Some people! Anyway, see you next time! Bye.
Phil
Bye!