IdiomBody & Senses
French
FrenchL'huile de coude
Meaning: Hard physical effort; elbow grease.
Literally: Elbow oil
Example: “Pour ravoir cette vieille poêle, il va falloir de l'huile de coude.” — Getting that old pan clean is going to take some elbow grease.
English equivalent: Elbow grease
Equivalents in other languages
English: elbow grease
Origin: The joke is that the lubricant required is not applied to the tool but supplied by the worker. English formed exactly the same phrase independently.
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