| 单词 | to work one's fingers to the bone |
| 释义 | > as lemmasto work (also wear) one's fingers to the bone (b) to wear (also work) to the bone and variants: (chiefly hyperbolically) to render emaciated or exhausted through work, effort, suffering, etc.; to wear out. Also figurative. Similarly to work (also wear) one's fingers to the bone: to work extremely hard; to exhaust oneself. ΚΠ c1475 Mankind (1969) l. 356 Alasse, goode fadere, þis labor fretyth yow to þe bone. 1593 Passionate Morrice sig. C2 Neighbourly loue is made a hacknie, being so worne to the bones. 1729 C. Coffey Beggar's Wedding ii. 32 And if we offer to complain, we are immediately whipt into the Work-House, where we must work our Fingers to the Bone, and be half-starved for our Labour, in order to enrich our Tyrannical Masters. 1786 W. M. Trinder Pract. Serm. xii. 215 Sharp misery hath worn him to the bone. 1838 C. Gilman Recoll. Southern Matron xxvii. 189 I worked my fingers most to the bone for them pictures. 1855 Harper's Mag. June 47/2 The victim might wear her fingers to the bone in writing petitions before one could reach him. 1900 F. D. Byrne & L. Strachey tr. H. de Balzac Mad Musician in H. de Balzac in 25 Vols. XXIII. 123 His poor wife is compelled to work herself to the bone! 1911 J. M. Barrie Peter & Wendy ii ‘Much good,’ he said bitterly, ‘my wearing myself to the bone trying to be funny in this house.’ 1987 F. Gasdner tr. J. Derrida in Derrida Reader (1998) iv. 105 Metaphor is perhaps not only a subject worn to the bone. 2005 C. Alliott Not that Kind of Girl ii. 23 He..works his fingers to the bone to pay the mortgage and the school fees. < as lemmas |
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