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make short work of. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
make short work of, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
make short work of in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Pronunciation
Verb
make short work of (third-person singular simple present makes short work of, present participle making short work of, simple past and past participle made short work of)
- (transitive, idiomatic) To do (a task) quicker or easier.
A good electric screwdriver will make short work of the disassembly process.
1962 September, G. Freeman Allen, “The New Look in Scotland's Northern Division—1”, in Modern Railways, page 164:[...] a cab ride in one of the Birmingham Type 2 diesels over the Mallaig extension demonstrated what short work—and what a transformation of the engineman's lot—these machines make of the gradients by comparison with their steam predecessors.
- (transitive, idiomatic) To deal with or overcome (someone or something) quickly and without difficulty.
1897, Maynard Barbour, chapter 26, in The Award of Justice:"There was desperate characters here, but the vigilantes made short work of 'em."
2021 March 19, Bosnian Ape Society, 5:23 from the start, in Is Your Car Safe From Supermaneuverable Air-Defense Fighter Aircraft?, archived from the original on 7 August 2022:With what you have learned from your drivers' education course so far, you should be able to make short work of an enemy aircraft.
2023 February 8, Greg Morse, “Crossing the border... by Sleeper”, in RAIL, number 976, page 42:I arrange some of my things and sit back, making short work of the chocolate bars supplied to passengers.
Synonyms
Translations
make (a task) quicker or easier
deal with or overcome (someone or something) quickly and without difficulty
See also