2 meanings
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1 —as in:
sharpen on a grindstone
Definition
a revolving disk-shaped stone used to grind (as when wheat is ground to flour), or used to sharpen or polish (as when sharpening a knife)- Do you have a grindstone to sharpen the knife?
grindstone = a disk shaped stone used to sharpen or polish
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The mill had a water-powered grindstone to grind wheat into flour.
- She sharpened the knife on a grindstone.
- Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on the stuff he's made of.Josh Billings
- My jack-knife here needs the grindstone.Herman Melville -- Moby Dick
- ...come, turn this grindstone.Frederick Douglass -- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- There's a gaudy big grindstone down at the mill...Mark Twain -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- The grindstone, pestle and mortar were too heavy to take; in any case my daughter-in-law would be providing these.Kamala Markandaya -- Nectar in a Sieve
- But how in the nation'd they ever GIT that grindstone IN there, ANYWAY?Mark Twain -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- And he said that between the rats and the snakes and the grindstone there warn't no room in bed for him...Mark Twain -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
grindstone = a large revolving stone shaped like a disk that is used to grind grain (also called a millstone)
grindstone = a disk shaped stone used to sharpen or polish
grindstone = a stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to sharpen, grind, or polish
grindstone = a large stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind, sharpen or polish
grindstone = a large stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind grain
grindstone = a large stone used to grind, sharpen or polish
grindstone = a stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind, sharpen or polish
grindstone = a stone shaped like a disk that spins and is used to grind, sharpen or polish
2 —as in:
back to the grindstone
Definition
hard work- I need to get back to the grindstone.
grindstone = hard work
Other Uses (with this 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.J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- "Keeps your nose to the grindstone," Tyler said, grinning.John Ringo -- Live Free or Die
- Kept his nose to the grindstone and sold one bottle of snake oil too many.Eugene O'Neill -- The Iceman Cometh
- No, now that he had arrived, he must keep his nose to the grindstone.Agatha Christie -- And Then There Were None
grindstone = hard work
grindstone = hard work (figuratively referring to working hard with a large stone used to grind, sharpen, or polish)
(editor's note: 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.)
(editor's note: 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.)
(editor's note: 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.)
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