英语词汇“effort”的读音、翻译、释义、用法及例句-青年旅行网

词汇

effort

释义

IDIOMSLANG

EFFORT

blood, sweat, and tears

the signs of great personal effort. (Fixed order.)

There will be much blood, sweat, and tears before we have completed this project.After years of blood, sweat, and tears, Timmy finally earned a college degree.

burn the candle at both ends

to work very hard and stay up very late at night.

No wonder Mary is ill. She has been burning the candle at both ends for a long time.You can't keep on burning the candle at both ends.

burn the midnight oil

to stay up working, especially studying, late at night. (Refers to working by the light of an oil lamp.)

I have to go home and burn the midnight oil tonight.If you burn the midnight oil night after night, you'll probably become ill.

bust a gut (to do something)

to work very hard; to strain oneself to do something. (Slang. The word gut is considered impolite in some circumstances. Bust is an informal form of burst.)

I don't intend to bust a gut to get there on time.I busted a gut to get there the last time, and I was the first one there.

by the sweat of one's brow

by one's efforts; by one's hard work.

Tom raised these vegetables by the sweat of his brow.Sally polished the car by the sweat of her brow.

dig in

to apply oneself to a task; to tackle (something) vigorously.

Sally looked at the big job ahead of her. Then she rolled up her sleeves and dug in."Tom," hollered Mrs. Smith, "you get to that pile of homework and dig in this very minute."

do one's (level) best

to do (something) as well as one can.

Just do your level best. That's all we can ask of you.Tom isn't doing his best. We may have to replace him.

give something one's best shot

to give a task one's best effort.

I gave the project my best shot.Sure, try it. Give it your best shot!

go out of one's way (to do something)

to make an effort to do something; to accept the bother of doing something.

We went out of our way to please the visitor.We appreciate anything you can do, but don't go out of your way.

in earnest

sincerely.

This time I'll try in earnest.She spoke in earnest, and many people believed her.

knock oneself out (to do something)

to go to a great deal of trouble to do something. (Informal. As if one had worked oneself into unconsciousness.)

I knocked myself out to prepare this meal for you, and you won't even taste it!I don't know why I knock myself out to do these things for you. You are not at all appreciative.

last-ditch effort

a final effort; the last possible attempt.

I made one last-ditch effort to get her to stay.It was a last-ditch effort. I didn't expect it to work.

line of least resistance

the course of action that will cause least trouble or effort.

Jane won't stand up for her rights. She always takes the line of least resistance.Joan never states her point of view. She takes the line of least resistance and agrees with everyone else.

main strength and awkwardness

great force; brute force. (Folksy. Fixed order.)

They finally got the piano moved into the living room by main strength and awkwardness.Lifting the table must be done carefully. This is not a job requiring main strength and awkwardness.

make an all-out effort

to make a thorough and energetic effort.

Sally made an all-out effort to get to class on time.In my job, I have to make an all-out effort every day.

make the best of something

to try to make a bad situation work out well.

It's not good, but we'll have to make the best of it.Ann is clever enough to make the best of a bad situation.

make the most of something

to make something appear as good as possible; to exploit something; to get as much out of something as is possible.

Mary knows how to make the most of her talents.They designed the advertisements to make the most of the product's features.

move heaven and earth to do something

to make a major effort to do something. (Fixed order.)

“I’ll move heaven and earth to be with you, Mary," said Bill.I had to move heaven and earth to get there on time.Your father and I had to move heaven and earth to pay for your braces and your college bills, and what thanks do we get?

pull out all the stops

to use all one's energy and effort in order to achieve something. (From the stops of a pipe organ. The more that are pulled out, the louder it gets.)

You'll have to pull out all the stops if you're going to pass the course.The doctors will pull out all the stops to save the child's life.

put one's back (in)to something

to apply a lot of mental or creative effort to doing something.

If we put our backs to it, we can bake twelve dozen cookies today.The artist put his back into finishing the picture on time.

to apply great physical effort to lift or move something.

All right, you guys. Put your backs into moving this piano.You can lift it if you put your back to it.

put one's hand to the plow

to begin to do a big and important task; to undertake a major effort.

If John would only put his hand to the plow, he could do an excellent job.You'll never accomplish anything if you don't put your hand to the plow.

put one's nose to the grindstone

to keep busy doing one's work. (Also with have and get, as in the examples.)

The boss told me to put my nose to the grindstone.I've had my nose to the grindstone ever since I started working here.If the other people in this office would get their noses to the grindstone, more work would get done.

put one's shoulder to the wheel

to get busy.

You won't accomplish anything unless you put your shoulder to the wheel.I put my shoulder to the wheel and finished the job quickly.

under one's own steam

by one's own power or effort. (Informal.)

I missed my ride to class, so I had to get there under my own steam.John will need some help with this project. He can't do it under his own steam.

use every trick in the book

to use every method possible. (Informal.)

I used every trick in the book, but I still couldn't manage to get a ticket to the game Saturday.Bob tried to use every trick in the book, but he still failed.

use some elbow grease

use some effort. (Slang. As if lubricating one's elbow would make one more efficient. Note the variations in the examples.)

Come on, Bill. You can do it. Just use some elbow grease.I tried elbow grease, but it doesn't help get the job done.

with the best will in the world

however much one wishes to do something or however hard one tries to do something.

With the best will in the world, Jack won't be able to help Mary get the job.With the best will in the world, they wont finish the job in time.

work like a horse

to work very hard.

I've been working like a horse all day, and I’m tired.I'm too old to work like a horse. I'd prefer to relax more.

work one's fingers to the bone

to work very hard.

I worked my fingers to the bone so you children could have everything you needed. Now look at the way you treat me!I spent the day working my fingers to the bone, and now I want to relax.

EFFORT - FUTILE

preach to the converted

to praise or recommend something to someone who is already in favor of it.

Mary was preaching to the converted when she tried to persuade Jean to become a feminist. She's been one for years.Bob found himself preaching to the converted when he was telling Jane the advantages of living in the country. She hates city life.

effort

noun a specific article that is not accurately named. Originally public school usage UK, 1925

idiomeffort► last- ditch effort/attempt

A for effort

A verbal acknowledgement of appreciation for attempting a task, even if it did not produce a successful result. You forgot to sand the wood before you painted it, but I'll give you an A for effort since you tried to help.

an all-out effort

An attempt made with one's full attention and/or fortitude; one's best effort. To beat the best team in the league, we need to make an all-out effort tonight, boys. As soon as I got an academic warning, I started an all-out effort to improve my grades.

last-ditch effort

A final effort or attempt to solve a problem or avoid failure or defeat, especially after a series of failures or setbacks. The home team is mounting one last-ditch effort in the final seconds of the game to try to force an overtime showdown. In a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown, congress has pushed forward a new spending bill meant to plug the debt ceiling for another year.

spare no effort to (do something)

To put the maximum amount of effort into something; to work as hard as possible to do something. Police have spared no effort in securing the area ahead of the event. We will spare no effort in bringing those responsible to justice.

bend (one's) mind

To consider, reflect upon, or think hard about something. If you would just bend your mind, I'm sure you could find a solution to the company's excess costs.

bend (one's) efforts

To put forth a great deal of effort toward some goal or end. I've been bending my efforts to find a way out of these legal problems, but, as of now, I'm still going to prison.

Herculean effort

A job, task, or activity that requires a huge amount of effort, energy, or physical strength. Sometimes used ironically or hyperbolically. But getting enough votes to pass the controversial legislation may prove to be a Herculean effort. Sometimes it feels like finding a good burger that isn't the price of a sirloin steak is a Herculean effort. It will be a Herculean effort for them to dethrone the former champions in this year's Super Bowl, but they certainly have a shot.

make an effort (to do something)

To put forth a moderate effort (to do, achieve, or accomplish something). I'll make an effort, but I can't guarantee that I'll be home before the party starts. I'm trying to make an effort to keep in touch with my family more often. I'm not expecting anything extravagant from her for our anniversary, but it would be nice if she made an effort.

make every effort (to do something)

To put forth the greatest possible effort (to do, achieve, or accomplish something). I'll make every effort, but I can't guarantee that I'll be home before the party starts. We've made every effort to ensure the transition process is as seamless as possible for you and your team.

* A for effort

Fig. acknowledgement for having tried to do something, even if it was not successful. (*Typically: get ~; give someone ~.) The plan didn't work, but I'll give you an A for effort for trying.

*an all-out effort

a very good and thorough effort. (*Typically: begin ~; have ~; make ~; start ~.) We need to make an all-out effort to get this job done on time. The government began an all-out effort to reduce the federal budget.

*last-ditch effort

Fig. a final effort; the last possible attempt. (*Typically: be ~; have ~; make ~.) I made one last-ditch effort to get her to stay. It was a last-ditch effort. I didn't expect it to work.

make every effort to do something

to try very hard to accomplish something. I will make every effort to be there on time.

all out

With all one's strength, ability, or resources; not holding back. For example, They are going all out to make the fund-raiser a success. This seemingly modern term dates from about 1300, when it meant "completely" or "wholly." It now refers to making a great effort and is also used adjectivally, as in an all-out effort. This usage became current in America in the late 1800s, with reference to races and other kinds of athletic exertion. In the mid-1900s it gave rise to the phrase to go all out and was transferred to just about any energetic undertaking. Also see go whole hog.

last-ditch effort

A desperate final attempt, as in We're making a last-ditch effort to finish on time. This expression alludes to the military sense of last ditch, "the last line of defense." Its figurative use dates from the early 1800s.

all out

using all your strength or resources.

bend your ˈmind/ˈefforts to something

(formal) think very hard about or put a lot of effort into one particular thing

a ˌlast-ditch ˈstand/atˈtempt/ˈeffort

a final attempt to avoid defeat: They are making a last-ditch stand to save the company.This is a last-ditch attempt to stop the strike. Ditch in this idiom refers to a long channel built to defend an area against attack.

all out

With all one's strength, ability, or resources.

last-ditch defense/effort

A desperate final measure. In military terminology of the seventeenth century the “last ditch” was the ultimate line of defense. By the eighteenth century the term was being used figuratively, as in Thomas Jefferson’s description, “A government driven to the last ditch by the universal call for liberty.”

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