as in challenging
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
she loves coming up with the "big idea" but hates the actual pick-and-shovel work of starting a new business
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Recent Examples of pick-and-shovel
The core operation and a smattering of pick-and-shovel prospects mined the surface gold that was easily extracted by hand from exposed late Cretaceous-period rocks that shed bits of precious minerals in flakes, nuggets and dust.
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Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024
Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pick-and-shovel
Adjective
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The company continues to focus on expanding its distribution business and broadening its product range, despite the challenging economic environment.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
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The digital detox journey can be challenging, but many people discover it to be rewarding in the end.Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The melodic lines, particularly for brass, are very difficult to navigate.Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
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High frequencies are more difficult to block out than other tones, as high-end noise-cancelling headphones from Apple, Bose, and Sony perform similarly.PCMAG, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Bosa confirmed Wednesday that playing through a hip injury last game was the toughest pain he’s endured in 5 1/2 seasons.Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
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The Buffs need to find a way to grind out tough yards on the ground, especially late.Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Yet a Brown University study found that students who took courses from professors with more rigorous grading standards learned more.Karin Klein, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
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And the Bruins played a rigorous out-of-state schedule to prepare for another run.Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The dedicated graphics card is capable of 1080p gaming at medium settings just as long as the title isn’t too demanding and will help with any graphic design tasks.Jade Chung-Lee, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
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Every iPhone 16 has 8 GB of RAM, yet that’s cutting it close for the most demanding titles and can lead to crashes.Craig Grannell, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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While Malloy's candidacy represents a clear challenge to Sanders' decades-long dominance in Vermont politics, the senator's enduring popularity and political influence remain formidable.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
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Jones, who died on Sunday night at 91 in Los Angeles, had already been a formidable impresario in music and TV for decades before pairing up with Jackson, a former child prodigy struggling with his pivot into adulthood.Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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To make matters more complicated, the only way to bring in dump trucks and other machines that might be needed for a cleanup is by driving through Caltrans land.Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
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But it’s not yet known whether there’s a limit to how varied and complicated these patterns can get.Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near pick-and-shovel
Cite this Entry
“Pick-and-shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pick-and-shovel. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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