grind it out
To continually work on a difficult task. I've been grinding it out, trying to figure out where this discrepancy in the budget came from. I did grind it out, and I still got a D on my term paper! So frustrating! Wow, they really did grind it out fixing up the house, huh? It looks incredible!
grind out
1. To produce something by crushing or pulverizing, as through a machine. A noun or pronoun can be used between "grind" and "out." The workers in here are grinding out flour from grain. When you buy a bag of unshelled pumpkin seeds, how were the seeds taken out of their shells? Were they ground out? This machine will grind out the wood so that you end up with small chips usable outside.
2. To make, create, or produce something perfunctorily and unenthusiastically. A noun or pronoun can be used between "grind" and "out." How many of these stupid articles do I have to grind out before someone at the magazine takes my work seriously? Sure, come on in—I'm just grinding out yet another report for the boss. He fancies himself something of a creative genius who doesn't just grind out paintings with commercial appeal.
3. To work hard to do or accomplish something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "grind" and "out." With hard work and a focus on defense, we should be able to grind out a victory against this team. It took hours to grind out a compromise, but we're finally in agreement now. A better agent would have ground out a contract for that star player by now.
ground out
In baseball, to hit a ground ball that leads to one being called "out" (as by an opposing player fielding the ball and throwing to or tagging first base). You'll ground out for sure if you hit a grounder towards first. A: "Aw, I missed Alex's at-bat? What happened?" B: "She ground out, second baseman to first baseman." A: "You can't beat out these grounders, so you should really try to hit more balls into the air. I bet you'd get on base more." B: "Wow, what brilliant advice! I'm not trying to ground out, you know."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
grind something out
. 1. Lit. to produce something by grinding. Working hard, he ground the powder out, acup at a time. He ground out the powder, a cup at a time.
2. Fig. to produce something in a mechanical or perfunctory manner. The factory just keeps grinding these toys out, day after day. The machine grinds out the same part by the hundreds all day long.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
grind out
v.1. To produce mechanically or without inspiration: The factory grinds out a uniform product. I dread writing my tedious weekly reports, but I grind them out.
2. To achieve or accomplish something through determination and force: The team ground out a win. Their running game ground out 50 yards, putting them in position for a field goal. Victory seemed far off, but we managed to grind it out in the last minutes of play.
ground out
v. Baseball To be put out by hitting a ground ball that is caught by the first base player or is thrown to first base by another player: The game ended when our best batter grounded out on a curve ball.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.