Thẻ ghi nhớ: chanel #2: hardworking (làm việc hết mình)

burn the midnight oil

to work late into the night ~ thức khuya đèn sách

• If you burn the midnight oil night after night, you'll probably become ill.

work your fingers to the bone

to work extremely hard, especially for a long time ~ làm việc đến mức ngón tay gầy trơ xương

• She worked her fingers to the bone to provide a home and food for seven children.

hammer away at something

to work without stopping and with a lot of effort - làm việc không ngừng nghỉ

• She spent all weekend hammering away at her novel.

pull an all-nighter

thức trắng cả đêm để học, làm việc

• I pulled an all-nighter last night.

eager beaver

(n): a person who is willing to work very hard

busy bee

(n): an industrious person ~ con ong chăm chỉ

So sánh: be (as) busy as a bee: to be moving about quickly doing many things ~ di chuyển, đi lại liên hồi để làm việc

• My mom is (as) busy as a bee around Christmastime.

burn the candles at both ends

to work or do other things from early in the morning until late at night and so get very little rest ~ làm việc từ sáng tới đêm, làm việc kiệt sức

• You'll wear out if you keep burning the candle at both ends.

spread oneself too thin

to try to do too many things at the same time, so that you cannot give enough time or attention to any of them ~ ôm 1 lúc nhiều việc, không tính đến khả năng của mình

• I realized I'd been spreading myself too thin so I resigned as secretary of the golf club.

sweat over something

to work very hard using or doing something (làm việc đến vã mồ hôi)

=> She's been sweating over that essay all afternoon.

-> sweat over a hot stove

=> I've been sweating over a hot stove (= cooking) all morning.

exert yourself

to make a mental or physical effort - tự mình nỗ lực (cả tinh thần lẫn thể chất)

• I was too tired to exert myself.

pull your socks up

to make an effort to improve your work or behaviour because it is not good enough ~ nỗ lực cài thiện khuyết điểm

• He's going to have to pull his socks up if he wants to stay in the team.

apply oneself to something

to work hard and diligently at something (nỗ lực chăm chỉ)

=> You should apply yourself to your studies.

=> She applied herself to her work and the time passed very rapidly.

roll up your sleeves

to prepare for hard work ~ xắn tay áo lên mà làm việc đi

•There's a lot of work to do, so roll up your sleeves and get busy.

bash (away) on/at

to continue to work hard on something (vẫn tiếp tục làm việc gì)

=> She's still bashing away at her last chapter.

can't be bothered

to be too lazy or tired to do it - chẳng buồn làm gì, chẳng muốn làm gì (vì lười, vì nghĩ nó nặng nhọc quá)

=> She couldn't even be bothered to say hello.

give a hundred percent

to try or work as hard as you can in order to achieve something (làm hết mình)

=> Everyone on the team gave a hundred percent.

keep/put your nose to the grindstone

to work very hard for a long time (nỗ lực trong thời gian dài)

• She kept her nose to the grindstone all year and got the exam results she wanted.

put your shoulder to the wheel

to start doing something with all your energy and determination ~ bắt đầu làm gì với toàn bộ tâm lực

=> We need to put our shoulders to the wheel if we're going to finish this on time.

put the pedal to the metal

(1) to drive very fast: tăng ga, lái nhanh

(2) to work very quickly: "tăng ga" khi làm việc

=> We are going to have to put the pedal to the metal if we want to finish on time.

drive/work/run yourself into the ground

to make yourself tired or ill by working too hard ~ làm việc quá sức

• We ran ourselves into the ground to meet the July deadline.

blood, sweat and tears

(n): a lot of effort and hard work ~ máu, mồ hôi và cả nước mắt

• A lot of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this victory.

fight tooth and nail

to try very hard to get something you want

=> We fought tooth and nail to get the route of the new road changed.

sweat blood/sweat your guts out

to make a great effort (đổ máu/móc gan ruột ra)

• We sweated blood to get the work finished on time.

with all one's might

using all your strength (với tất cả sức mạnh)

• Amos was tugging at the rope with all his might.

with a vengeance

with great force or extreme energy ~ với 1 lực rất lớn, tràn đầy năng lượng.

=> He's been working with a vengeance over the past few weeks to make up for lost time.

=> Flared trousers are back with a vengeance (= very popular again) this summer. (-> be back with a vengeance: quay trở lại và lợi hại hơn xưa)

work round/around the clock

work all day and all night ~ làm việc suốt ngày suốt đêm

• Doctors and nurses worked round the clock to help those injured in the train crash.

try one's best = do one's best = do sth to the best of your ability

• I promise to carry out my duties to the best of my ability.

pull out all the stops

to do everything you can to make something successful ~ dồn hết sức lực cho 1 việc thành công

• They pulled out all the stops for their daughter's wedding.

stop at nothing

to be willing to do anything, however dishonest etc, in order to get something ~ không từ 1 thủ đoạn nào

• He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants.

give sth your best shot

to do something as well as you can

• I gave writing my best shot, but I just don't think I can make a career out of it.

go to the trouble to do something/take the trouble to do something

to make an effort to do something (nỗ lực đặc biệt)

=> It the police had gone to the trouble of looking up his record, they would not have released him.

=> Your father took the trouble to cook this delicious meal, and now you are going to sit down and eat it.

leave no stone unturned

to do everything you can to achieve a good result, especially when looking for something ~ không để hòn đá nào cản đường, dùng đủ mọi cách

• He left no stone unturned in his search for his natural mother.

be firing on all cylinders

to be operating as powerfully and effectively as possible ~ hoạt động hết công suất

• Dawson will be firing on all cylinders after two months of fitness training.

not do things by halves

to put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into doing things, often more than is necessary ~ chắng bao giờ làm việc nửa vời cả: đã làm là phải đến nơi đến chốn

• "I didn't realize you were decorating the whole house." "Oh, we don't do things by halves around here."

pull your weight

to work as hard as other people in a group (nỗ lực như những ng khác)

• The others had complained that Sarah wasn't pulling her weight.

Question 1: She worked her fingers to the _ to bring home the bacon. She is a breadwinner.

bone

Question 2: I know you're disappointed, but you need to roll up your ___ and redouble your efforts.

sleeves

Question 3: You'll do well at school if you just keep your nose to the ___

grindstone

Question 4: You're going to have to really put your ___ to the wheel if you want to pass your final exams.

shoulder

Question 5: He's been working _ a vengeance over the past few weeks to make up for lost time.

with

Question 6: Students pulled out all the ___ for their final exams.

stops

Question 7: She left no stone ___ in her search for her wedding present

- a diamond ring.

unturned

Question 8: I gave composition my best __ but I just don't think I can obtain a good comment from my professor.

shot

Question 9: I only fire on all ___ after I've had my coffee.

cylinders

Question 10: If you don't start ___ around here, you're fired.

pulling your weight

square the circle

to do something that is considered to be impossible

=> Marketing companies are trying to square the circle of profitability and growth with strong ethical values and sustainability.

shirk

(v): to avoid work, duties, or responsibilities, especially if they are difficult or unpleasant (né tránh công việc)

If you shirk your responsibilities/duties now, the situation will be much harder to deal with next month.

go out of your way

to try very hard to do something, especially for someone else:

go out of your way to do something They really went out of their way to make us feel welcome.

give something your all

to put a lot of effort into doing something:

We must be finished by tonight, so I want you to give it your all.

= give a hundred percent

knuckle/buckle down to

to start working or studying hard:

knuckle down to You're going to have to really knuckle down to your work if you want to pass your final exams.
buckle down to something/doing something He'll have to buckle down to his work soon if he wants to pass his finals.

go to great/any lengths

to try very hard to achieve something:

Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive.