🗓️ Idiom: Working Your Fingers to the Bone (idiom)
💬 Meaning
- To work extremely hard, often to the point of exhaustion.
- To put in a great deal of physical or mental effort for a long time.
🧠 Example Sentences
- She’s been working her fingers to the bone trying to meet the new client’s deadline. She hasn’t been home early in weeks.
- The team worked their fingers to the bone during the product launch week and needed a break afterward.
- He’s been working his fingers to the bone lately with two projects and evening meetings. He needs some family time.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom dates back to the 14th century and originally described people who worked so hard that the skin on their hands became worn down to the bone. It was first used to refer to physical labor, but today it also applies to anyone working extremely hard, whether in an office or another setting.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
After months of late nights and tight deadlines, the marketing team had been ___________.
Answer
working their fingers to the bone
2. Choose the correct option:
What does “working your fingers to the bone” mean?
a) To avoid hard work
b) To work extremely hard for a long time
c) To take frequent breaks at work
Answer
b) To work extremely hard for a long time
3. Change the sentence using “working your fingers to the bone”:
“Our staff have been putting in long hours to finish the project before the deadline.”
Answer
Our staff have been working their fingers to the bone to finish the project before the deadline.
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