make short work of

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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)

1. (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.

2. (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."

   • 1904–1907 (date written), James Joyce, “Counterparts”, in Dubliners, London: Grant Richards, published June 1914, →OCLC:

     "You impertinent ruffian! You impertinent ruffian! I'll make short work of you!"

   • 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.

• make quick work of
• make mincemeat of

• short shrift