nose to the grindstone

Meaning: (idiomatic,obsolete)Usedtoformidiomsmeaning"toforcesomeonetoworkhardor tofocusintenselyupon theirwork".a.1533,John Frith,A Mirrour or Glasse to Know Thyselfe, sig. Avi v:This Textholdeththeirnosesso hardto thegrynde stonethat itcleandisfigureththeir faces.1546, John Heywood,A Dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue, sig. Bii:I shall toreuengeformer hurts,Hold theirnoses togrinstone.1786,Robert Burns,Poems, page188:Be to the Poor likeoniewhunstane,Andhaudtheirnoses to thegrunstane.; (idiomatic)Usedtoformidiomsmeaning"toforceoneselftoworkhardor tofocusintenselyuponone'swork".Synonym:see atstrive1828,Lights & Shades of English Life, volume II, page13:People whose heads are a little up in the world, have no occasion to keep theirnose to the grindstone.1886[1882],Henry James,The Point of View‎[1], London: Macmillan and Co.:I travelled energetically; I went everywhere and saw everything; took as many letters as possible, and made as many acquaintances. In short, I held mynose to the grindstone.2001August 26,Garrison Keillor, “In Search of Lake Wobegon”, inThe New York Times‎[2],→ISSN:Thirty years ago, I lived in Stearns County with my wife and little boy in a rented farmhouse south of Freeport, an area ofnose-to-the-grindstoneGerman Catholics proud of their redneck reputation.

Examples:

EN: You know, nose to the grindstone and all that sort of thing.
ES: Nada de nada, sólo trabajar.
EN: I've had my nose to the grindstone.
ES: Yo no. He estado trabajando duro.
EN: Movement, change, excitement while I'm tied down, nose to the grindstone.
ES: Qué suerte la de Ana. Movimiento, cambio, emoción. Yo, aquí, atado, trabajando duro.
EN: I only wanted you to realize that you don't have to keep your nose to the grindstone any longer.
ES: Solo quería que te dieras cuenta... que ya no tienes por qué involucrarte tanto en el trabajo.
EN: - That's what I call keeping your nose to the grindstone.
ES: - Eso es trabajar en serio.
EN: But you know what happens when you've got your nose to the grindstone.
ES: Pero ya sabes lo que sucede cuando tienes la nariz en la piedra de afilar.
EN: You can't keep your nose to the grindstone all the time.
ES: No puedes dedicarte sólo a tu trabajo.
EN: Why haven't you got your nose to the grindstone?
ES: ¿Por qué no estás trabajando?
EN: I guess I'll live. - Yeah. With everything so high I've got to keep my nose to the grindstone.
ES: Bueno, supongo que no me moriré, Con lo cara que está la vida no puedo dejar de trabajar.
EN: No restrictions. And when the first kid appears, it's nose to the grindstone.
ES: Todas las chicas que quieren casarse están a favor del amor libre, sin ataduras.
EN: Got his nose to the grindstone.
ES: Un buen trabajador.
EN: Get the nose to the grindstone.
ES: Al trabajo.
EN: Well, it's a world of business, Miss Enright. You know, keep the wheels turning, your nose to the grindstone.
ES: En eI mundo de Ios negocios,... no podemos para Ia máquina y parar de producir.
EN: One thing. You've got your nose to the grindstone every minute.
ES: Tú es que no paras un minuto.
EN: Finch, if you work hard, keep your nose to the grindstone there's no telling how far you can go with this company.
ES: Si trabaja mucho e incesantemente... no se sabe hasta dónde puede ascender en esta compañía.

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