keep nose the grindstone

noun

a rotating solid stone wheel used for sharpening, shaping, etc.

a millstone.

Idioms

keep/put one's nose to the grindstone, to work, study, or practice hard and steadily or to cause someone to do so: If I put my nose to the grindstone, I'll finish the job this week.

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English. See grind, stone

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary

grindstone (ˈɡraɪndˌstəʊn)

—n
1.	a. a machine having a circular block of stone or composite abrasive rotated for sharpening tools or grinding metal
	b. the stone used in this machine
	c. any stone used for sharpening; whetstone
2.	another name for millstone
3.	keep one's nose to the grindstone, have one's nose to the grindstone to work hard and perseveringly

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10

Keep nose the grindstone is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

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Matching Quote

"One of the few graces of getting old—and God knows there are few graces—is that if you've worked hard and kept your nose to the grindstone, something happens: The body gets old but the creative mechanism is refreshed, smoothed and oiled and honed. That is the grace. That is what's happening to me."

-Maurice Sendak

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keep nose the grindstone

grind·stone