Englishlabor of love
Meaning: Something done out of affection or great interest.
Example: “Restoring the old organ was a labor of love.”
Origin: Biblical, appearing twice in the New Testament of the King James Bible (1611): Hebrews 6:10 and 1 Thessalonians 1:3, the latter praising the Thessalonians for "your work of faith, and labour of love" — effort undertaken purely out of devotion, with no expectation of payment or reward. Shakespeare never actually used the phrase himself, but his 1588 play Love's Labour's Lost predates the King James Bible by more than two decades, and it's plausible its translators were at least aware of the title when settling on their own wording. Whatever the exact path, the phrase kept its original sense largely intact: work done for the sheer satisfaction of doing it, or for someone loved, rather than for money.
More English idioms
- leave someone in the lurch To abandon someone to a difficult situation, forcing him or her to take all the responsib…
- leave someone out in the cold To shun someone; to exclude someone from a place or activity.
- leave someone high and dry Abandoned or stranded; helpless.
- leave someone holding the bag To leave someone else with the blame or responsibility.
- leave well enough alone To accept a situation as it is; to avoid trying to improve a situation one's actions migh…
- letter perfect Exactly right.
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- Casse-pieds A massive bore or pain in the neck — someone who wears you down with their irritating way…
- Espèce de patate You dim bulb — a potato being the very picture of inert, unthinking stodginess.
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