Keep Your Nose to the Grindstone
2024-09-29
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Learning a language is difficult.
3Sometimes it requires a plan and resources.
4But it also usually requires hard work. People who persist with their language goals often get good results.
5They keep working even through hard times.
6They keep their nose to the grindstone.
7When you keep your nose to the grindstone, you work very hard for a long time at something. You don't give up.
8How do we use this idiom in daily life?
9How did it come to mean perseverance?
10And just what is a grindstone?
11We answer all these questions on today's show.
12First, let's talk about a grindstone.
13A grindstone is a large stone circular stone with a hole in the middle.
14An axle fits through that hole.
15When the stone turns quickly on the axle, it can sharpen, shape, or smooth a tool.
16And that brings us to the beginnings of this idiom.
17On his website Phrase Finder, writer and language researcher Gary Martin suggests two possible beginnings.
18Both are set in work environments of long ago: a place for milling grain and a place for sharpening tools.
19Some online sources claim that keeping your nose to the grindstone comes from milling grain.
20If the stone got too hot while grinding, it could burn the grain.
21So, workers would have to keep their noses close to the stone and smell for any sign of burning.
22However, word expert Martin says that doesn't seem true.
23He claims that these mills used millstones.
24So, if this story were true, we would say keep your nose to the millstone. But we don't.
25He also notes that the terms "millstone" and "grindstone" were used interchangeably hundreds of years ago.
26But then, at some point long ago, that stopped. Grain mills used millstones and not grindstones.
27And vice versa - tool sharpening workshops used grindstones and not millstones.
28So, let's talk about the explanation set in a tool sharpening workshop.
29Martin talks about old workshops in his area of England.
30He says these workshops have benches very near to grinding stones.
31Workers would sit on the benches hunched over and work very hard and very long.
32He goes on to write the following:
33"They had to pay close attention to their work as a moment too long on the wheel could cause the steel to overheat and be ruined."
34Martin guesses that this story is the more likely explanation.
35Imagine being hunched over your work and working hard at it.
36That describes having your nose to the grindstone.
37In some cases, we also say put your nose to the grindstone.
38We may say it this way if we give someone advice.
39For example, "You need to put your nose to the grindstone if you're going to finish this project on time."
40Now let's hear another example.
41A: Have you seen Marisa lately?
42She hasn't called or texted in weeks!
43B: I was worried about her too.
44But the other day, I ran into her co-worker.
45She said Marisa has her nose to the grindstone trying to finish her year-end report.
46A: Oh I forgot about that!
47In that case, let's take her some dinner.
48She never eats when she's busy with work.
49B: Good idea! I'll make my famous pasta and meatballs.
50If I had to pick an opposite of this idiom, it would be this one:
51All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
52Life can't be all about work.
53So, if you've been keeping your nose to the grindstone, remember to take a break.
54And that's all the time we have this Words and Their Stories.
55Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Learning a language is difficult. Sometimes it requires a plan and resources. But it also usually requires hard work. People who persist with their language goals often get good results. They keep working even through hard times. They keep their nose to the grindstone. 3When you keep your nose to the grindstone, you work very hard for a long time at something. You don't give up. 4How do we use this idiom in daily life? How did it come to mean perseverance? And just what is a grindstone? We answer all these questions on today's show. 5First, let's talk about a grindstone. A grindstone is a large stone circular stone with a hole in the middle. An axle fits through that hole. When the stone turns quickly on the axle, it can sharpen, shape, or smooth a tool. 6And that brings us to the beginnings of this idiom. 7On his website Phrase Finder, writer and language researcher Gary Martin suggests two possible beginnings. Both are set in work environments of long ago: a place for milling grain and a place for sharpening tools. 8Some online sources claim that keeping your nose to the grindstone comes from milling grain. If the stone got too hot while grinding, it could burn the grain. So, workers would have to keep their noses close to the stone and smell for any sign of burning. 9However, word expert Martin says that doesn't seem true. He claims that these mills used millstones. So, if this story were true, we would say keep your nose to the millstone. But we don't. 10He also notes that the terms "millstone" and "grindstone" were used interchangeably hundreds of years ago. But then, at some point long ago, that stopped. Grain mills used millstones and not grindstones. And vice versa - tool sharpening workshops used grindstones and not millstones. 11So, let's talk about the explanation set in a tool sharpening workshop. Martin talks about old workshops in his area of England. He says these workshops have benches very near to grinding stones. Workers would sit on the benches hunched over and work very hard and very long. He goes on to write the following: 12"They had to pay close attention to their work as a moment too long on the wheel could cause the steel to overheat and be ruined." 13Martin guesses that this story is the more likely explanation. Imagine being hunched over your work and working hard at it. That describes having your nose to the grindstone. 14In some cases, we also say put your nose to the grindstone. We may say it this way if we give someone advice. For example, "You need to put your nose to the grindstone if you're going to finish this project on time." 15Now let's hear another example. 16A: Have you seen Marisa lately? She hasn't called or texted in weeks! 17B: I was worried about her too. But the other day, I ran into her co-worker. She said Marisa has her nose to the grindstone trying to finish her year-end report. 18A: Oh I forgot about that! In that case, let's take her some dinner. She never eats when she's busy with work. 19B: Good idea! I'll make my famous pasta and meatballs. 20If I had to pick an opposite of this idiom, it would be this one: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 21Life can't be all about work. So, if you've been keeping your nose to the grindstone, remember to take a break. 22And that's all the time we have this Words and Their Stories. 23Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. 24Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 25_____________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27persist - v. to continue to do something in spite of opposition, warnings, or pleas 28idiom - n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but must be learned as a whole 29perseverance - n. continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition 30axle - n. a pin, pole, or bar on or with which a wheel revolves 31mill - v. Milling transforms grain into flour for food preparation. : - n. A mill is where grain is processed into flour. 32vice versa - adv. with the order changed : with the relations reversed 33bench - n. a long seat for two or more persons 34hunch over phrasal verb to bend one's body into an arch or hump 35opposite - adj. as different as possible 36dull - adj. mentally slow 37Do you have a similar expression in your language? Let us know in the comments. Our comment policy is here. Or send us an email at LearningEnglish@voanews.com.