Since we celebrated Labor Day, it’s only natural that we take a look at expressions dealing with work. You deserve a day off! I assume that you’ve been working hard[1], not hardly[2] working! You’ve been working like a dog! You’ve been working your guts[3] out! You’ve been working your butt off! You’ve worked your fingers to the bone!
Just thinking about working hard makes me work up a sweat[4]! It wouldn’t be so bad, if you weren’t forced to do the dirty work, meaning you end up doing the least-desired jobs that are usually the responsibility of someone else, then you really have your work cut out for you, meaning you have an extremely difficult task.
These tasks can be made more difficult if you have a lot of pressure or obstacles. For example, if you have a deadline, you have to work against the clock. Or an unexpected problem may occur that can gum up[5] the works or throw a wrench[6] in the works, meaning literally to prevent a machine from working, or figuratively, to prevent a project from being successful. Of course it doesn’t help if you have a colleague who’s a nasty[7] piece of work, or an unpleasant person.
In an ideal world, you would collaborate closely with your colleagues, or work hand in glove[8] with them for projects in the works, or in development. But there’s no need to work yourself up, or get upset. With patience and perseverance, you’ll be able to work the problem out, or find a solution.
These are necessary ingredients for things to work out, or to find a satisfactory outcome. In this case, you’ll be a lot more likely to find things working properly (work like clockwork[9]) or effectively (work like a charm[10], work like magic), and even improving (work miracles[11], work wonders[12]).
As is often the case, you have to work long hours. Be careful not to work too hard, it’s not healthy. As the saying goes, All work and no play makes Jack a dull[13] boy. And no-one wants a boring person around. If only we could earn money without working hard for it. That’s definitely nice work if you can get it! Imagine having the whole works, or everything you desire, like the house on the beach, with the sailboat and dog included. Or imagine shooting[14] the works, or spending all your money on something, like a trip around the world! But don’t get caught daydreaming[15]. Or doing nothing. Because you might end up doing something you shouldn’t. As you know, the devil finds work for idle[16] hands!
It’s amazing what we workers have to go through, isn’t it? But really, it’s not unusual at all, in fact, it’s all in a day’s work!
[1] duramente, [2] apenas, [3] tripas, [4] sudor, [5] atascar, [6] llave inglesa, [7] desagradable, [8] guante, [9] mecanismo de relojería, [10] talismán, [11] milagros, [12] maravillas, [13] aburrido, [14] disparando, [15] soñar despierto, [16] paradas
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