hi Teachers
I am trying to find out the origin of "Slave away".
I know the phrase means work hard on somthing, but the prep " away" normally means go to a different direction ? so why slave "away"?
can someone please explain it to me ?
many thanks
emma
One of the meanings of 'away' is 'uninterruptedly', 'without stopping'. The clock was ticking away. wasting away, slaving away, toiling away, flailing away, hammering away, sawing away, puffing away, churning away, stirring away It can have the meaning of 'as much as you want', 'to your heart's content'.
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One of the meanings of 'away' is 'uninterruptedly', 'without stopping'.
The clock was ticking away.
wasting away, slaving away, toiling away, flailing away, hammering away, sawing away, puffing away, churning away, stirring away
It can have the meaning of 'as much as you want', 'to your heart's content'.
CJ