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shoot the works

shoot the work
S s

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [shoot stressed th ee wurk]
    • /ʃut stressed ði wɜrk/
    • /ʃuːt ðə wɜːk/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [shoot stressed th ee wurk]
    • /ʃut stressed ði wɜrk/

Definitions of shoot the works words

  • noun shoot the works exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil. 1
  • noun shoot the works productive or operative activity. 1
  • noun shoot the works employment, as in some form of industry, especially as a means of earning one's livelihood: to look for work. 1
  • noun shoot the works one's place of employment: Don't phone him at work. 1
  • noun shoot the works something on which exertion or labor is expended; a task or undertaking: The students finished their work in class. 1
  • noun shoot the works materials, things, etc., on which one is working or is to work. 1
See all 50 definitions of shoot the works

Information block about the term

Origin of shoot the works

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; (noun) Middle English worke, Old English worc, replacing Middle English werk(e), Old English weorc, cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon werk, Old High German werah, werc (German Werk), Old Norse verk, Greek érgon; (v.) Middle English worken, derivative of the noun, replacing Middle English wyrchen, Old English wyrcean; cognate with German wirken, Old Norse verkja, Gothic waurkjan

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Shoot the works

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Shoot the works

shoot the works popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

shoot the works usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for shoot the works

verb shoot the works

  • adventuring — the act of doing adventurous things or having adventures
  • attempt — If you make an attempt to do something, you try to do it, often without success.
  • belly-flop — to do a belly flop, as in diving or sledding.
  • bet the farm — (Idiomatic) To be absolutely certain, to have no doubts.
  • careered — an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework: He sought a career as a lawyer.
All 23 Synonyms of shoot the works

See also

Matching words

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