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grindstone
in a sentence
grouped by contextual meaning

grindstone as in:  sharpen on a grindstone

Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • •
    She sharpened the knife on a grindstone.
    grindstone = a  disk shaped stone used to sharpen or polish
  • •
    The grindstone, pestle and mortar were too heavy to take; in any case my daughter-in-law would be providing these.  (source)
    grindstone = a large stone used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    There's a gaudy big grindstone down at the mill...  (source)
    grindstone = a large stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind grain
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Show 10 more with 2 word variations
  • •
    My jack-knife here needs the grindstone.  (source)
    grindstone = a stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to sharpen, grind, or polish
  • •
    There's going to be more work than I can handle with my new grindstones.†  (source)
    grindstones = stones shaped like a disk that spin and are used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    After grinding a number of dull blades,—of whom it was remarkable that their fathers, when influential, were always going to help him to preferment, but always forgot to do it when the blades had left the Grindstone,—he had wearied of that poor work and had come to London.  (source)
    Grindstone = a revolving stone shaped like a disk that is used to sharpen, grind, or polish
  • •
    I would have happily chopped off the heads of a barrel full of eels to escape another afternoon trapped with men whose voices droned on and on and on like rumbling, dusty grindstones.†  (source)
    grindstones = stones shaped like a disk that spin and are used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    ...come, turn this grindstone.  (source)
    grindstone = a large stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    Horns cracked out in the darkening stillness; grindstones screeched.†  (source)
    grindstones = stones shaped like a disk that spin and are used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    Time to put our noses to the grindstone.†  (source)
    grindstone = a stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    The barn had stalls on the main floor for the work horses, tie-ups on the main floor for the cows, a sheepfold down below for the sheep, a pigpen down below for Wilbur, and it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns: ladders, grindstones, pitch forks, monkey wrenches, scythes, lawn mowers, snow shovels, ax handles, milk pails, water buckets, empty grain sacks, and rusty rat traps.†  (source)
    grindstones = stones shaped like a disk that spin and are used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    They claimed a clarity of vision that could only have come from being honed on the grindstone of reality.†  (source)
    grindstone = a stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind, sharpen or polish
  • •
    When we rolled forward the wheels creaked and bit out sparks like grindstones, and the couplings played free and hooked tight in a mechanical game into which your observation and brain were forced.†  (source)
    grindstones = stones shaped like a disk that spin and are used to grind, sharpen or polish
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grindstone as in:  back to the grindstone

•
I need to get back to the grindstone.
back to the grindstone = hard work
Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • •
    Keep your nose to the grindstone.
  • •
    'So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you? They'll be keeping your noses so hard to that grindstone they'll be rubbed raw,' said Fred with satisfaction.  (source)
    grindstone = hard work (figuratively referring to working hard with a large stone used to grind, sharpen, or polish)
  • •
    "Keeps your nose to the grindstone," Tyler said, grinning.†  (source)
    nose to the grindstone = an expression meaning "to work hard over a long period of time"
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  • •
    No, now that he had arrived, he must keep his nose to the grindstone.†  (source)
    nose to the grindstone = an expression meaning "to work hard over a long period of time"
    editor's notes: A grindstone was a revolving disk-shaped stone used to grind grain as when grinding wheat into flour, or to sharpen or polish as when sharpening a knife. This expression is easy to remember if you picture someone working to sharpen a knife blade by holding it against a rotating stone while leaning over it.
  • •
    Kept his nose to the grindstone and sold one bottle of snake oil too many.†  (source)
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