Nose to the grindstone

Meaning:

We use this idiom to describe when a person works hard. If a person has his or her nose to the grindstone, they are working hard to get their work done. We often use this one when we're talking about doing a lot of work over an extended period of time. We usually use this with the verbs "to keep" or "to put".

Example sentences:

1. You have to keep your nose to the grindstone.
2. It's time to put my nose to the grindstone.
3. Nose to the grindstone!

Example dialogue:

Two people are discussing how to start a business.

A: Do you have any advice for me with starting my business?
B: Well, one thing to know is that starting a business requires a lot of hard work.
A: Yeah. That makes sense.
B: You will need to keep your nose to the grindstone for a long time if it's going to be successful.

Practice:

Think of another situation where you we can use "nose to the grindstone".