1. Home
2. Idioms
3. grunt

grunt

---

---

grunt something out

to say something with a snort or grunt. Jane grunted a command out to someone. She grunted out a curt command and the gate opened.

See also: grunt, out

grunt work

Fig. work that is menial and thankless. During the summer, I earned money doing grunt work. I did all of the grunt work on the project, but my boss got all of the credit.

See also: grunt, work

grunt work

  (American informal)

hard work that is not very interesting Her job was nothing glamorous - a lot of grunt work drafting agreements for others to sign.

See donkey work

See also: grunt, work

donkey work

  (British, American & Australian informal) also grunt work (American informal)

hard, boring work

Usage notes: In the past, donkeys were used to carry heavy loads.

Why do I have to do all the donkey work while you get to do the interesting stuff?

See also: donkey, work

grunt

(grənt)

1. n. an infantry soldier. (Military. From the gutteral sound made by a pig, and anyone doing very heavy labor.) Get those grunts out on the field at sunrise!

2. n. a low-ranking or subservient person. (Someone who is likely to utter a grunt because of the discomforts of menial labor.) Let’s hire a grunt to do this kind of work.

3. n. a belch. Does that grunt mean you like my cooking?

4. n. a hardworking student. The grunts got Bs on the test. It was that hard!

5. n. a wrestler. (Possibly in reference to a grunting pig.) Two big grunts wearing outlandish costumes performed for the television cameras.

grunt work

and shit work

n. hard, menial labor; tedious work. (Work that a lesser person ought to be doing.) Who is supposed to do the grunt work around here? Not me! Why am I always doing the shit work?

See also: grunt, work