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Phrase(s): use some elbow grease
Fig. use some effort, as in scrubbing something. (As if lubricating one’s elbow would make one more efficient. Note the variations in the examples.) • Come on, Bill. You can do it. Just use some elbow grease. • I tried elbow grease, but it doesn’t help get the job done.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs