plug away
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle away
Meanings
Persist with a difficult task
Why “away”? Away can mean you keep doing something for a while. You write away, chat away, or work away.
“Just keep plugging away. You'll get there.”
“She kept plugging away at the maths problem.”
Don't confuse with
Plug away means persist with a difficult task. Plug in means connect a device to electricity using a plug.
Test yourself
“Just keep plugging away. You'll get there.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
plug in
A contrast learners often mix up
Connect a device to electricity using a plug
beaver away
Same away pattern: persistence
Work busily and persistently
blast away
Same away pattern: persistence
Continue firing weapons or playing loud music for an extended time
chat away
Same away pattern: persistence
Talk on at length, contentedly
hammer away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep hammering or pressing on something
scribble away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep writing in a busy fashion
sing away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep singing happily on your own
slave away
Same away pattern: persistence
Work very hard, often unrewarded
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