[General] plug away = spend the time working hard and persistently

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentence from Leacock’s “The Escape How We Kept Mother’s Day”?

He said that he could plug away all day, and in fact he said he’d been a fool to think there’s be any holiday for him.

plug away = spend the time working hard and persistently

Thank you for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

 

[billmcd]

You are correct.

 

[emsr2d2]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following sentence from Leacock’s “The Escape How We Kept Mother’s Day”?

He said that he could plug away all day, and in fact he said he’d been a fool to think there’s be any holiday for him.

plug away = spend the time working hard and persistently

Thank you for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

Yes, if you plug away at something it means that you consistently work at it, either until you succeed or you finally have to give up. It frequently suggests, however, that you might be wasting your time.