The podcast discusses the meaning and usage of the expression 'elbow grease', provides examples from movies/series, and recommends The Send 7 podcast for improving English.
Elbow grease refers to physical effort or hard work, especially manual labor that requires physical exertion.
Elbow grease is not commonly used in modern English but can still be encountered in TV series or movies.
Deep dives
The meaning of elbow grease
Elbow grease is an expression often used to refer to hard work, particularly physical labor or cleaning tasks. It implies the need for significant effort and determination, like when cleaning windows or doing physically demanding chores. However, the podcast host noted that this expression is not commonly used by people nowadays, and it may be more of a phrase associated with older generations. While it may not be in everyday usage, learning the expression can still be useful to understand it when encountered.
The rarity of using elbow grease
The podcast episode highlighted that elbow grease is not a commonly used expression in modern English. Similar to expressions like 'raining cats and dogs,' which are frequently taught to English learners but rarely used in conversation, elbow grease has fallen out of common usage. The podcast host and guest both agreed that while it may be a phrase worth knowing, it is unlikely to be used in regular conversation. However, they acknowledged that it may still be encountered in TV series or movies and could be included in one's passive vocabulary.
The idioms "Elbow Grease" explained. You'll also hear some exmapled from movies/series. On the Vocab Man, we cover interesting idioms, expressions, phrases and sayings to make you a better English speaker.
The idiom "elbow grease" refers to physical effort or hard work, especially manual labor that requires physical exertion. When someone suggests using "elbow grease," they are typically emphasizing the need for diligent and strenuous effort to accomplish a task, often involving activities like cleaning, scrubbing, or any manual work that requires energy and perseverance.
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"To get the stain out of the carpet, you'll need to apply some elbow grease and scrub it vigorously." 2. "Cleaning the garage will take some serious elbow grease, but it'll be worth it in the end."
"If you want those shoes to shine, put in some elbow grease while polishing them."
"The garden won't look its best unless you put some elbow grease into weeding and pruning."
"Fixing up an old bicycle requires more than just spare parts; it needs some elbow grease to make it ride smoothly again."
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