put one nose to 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10

Put one nose to the grindstone is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

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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put one nose to the grindstone

grind·stone