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break one's ass

  1. break someone's ass . Also, bust someone's chops . Thrash or harass someone, as in Jim threatened to break Tim's ass , or The boss broke his workers' chops to improve service . [ Vulgar slang ; mid-1900s]

  2. Exert oneself to the utmost, try extremely hard, as in I've been breaking my ass to finish early . This expression is considered vulgar slang; both ass , for backside or buttocks, and balls , for male genitals, are rude; butt , for buttocks, and chops , for either the mouth or the legs, are informal and emphatic but not quite as offensive. For a more polite synonym, see break one's back . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]



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Idioms and Phrases

Also, break or bust one's ass or balls or butt or chops .

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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