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back to the salt mines

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back to the salt mines

Resuming one's daily work, often unhappily. (Slaves and prisoners often had the unpleasant task of laboring in the salt mines.) I'm not excited to get back to the salt mines on Monday. When do you get back to the salt mines after your trip?

See also: back, mine, salt

back to the salt mines

Cliché time to return to work, school, or something else that might be unpleasant. (The phrase implies that the speaker is a slave who works in the salt mines.) It's one o'clock and lunch break is over. Back to the salt mines. School starts in the fall, so then it's back to the salt mines again.

See also: back, mine, salt

back to the salt mines

Resume work, usually with some reluctance, as in With my slavedriver of a boss, even on Saturdays it's back to the salt mines. This term alludes to the Russian practice of punishing prisoners by sending them to work in the salt mines of Siberia. Today the term is only used ironically. [Late 1800s] Also see keep one's nose to the grindstone.

See also: back, mine, salt

back to the salt mines

phr. back to the workplace. Well, it’s Monday morning. Back to the salt mines.

See also: back, mine, salt