Work your pants off

[nq:1]I guess you say "work your pants off" to imply that you are very busy, or you put great effort into your work.[/nq]
No. We (in the US) would say "I've been working my *** off" or, if we want to be a little less crude, "I've been working my tail off".

Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

[nq:2]I guess you say "work your pants off" to imply that you are very busy, or you put great effort into your work.[/nq]
[nq:1]No. We (in the US) would say "I've been working my *** off" or, if we want to be a little less crude, "I've been working my tail off".[/nq]
True, except I think you should have started your answer with Yes.

In a strange google moment, googling "work your

[nq:2]No. We (in the US) would say "I've been working ... a little less crude, "I've been working my tail off".[/nq]
[nq:1]True, except I think you should have started your answer with Yes. In a strange google moment, googling "work ... 246,000. I've never seen this kind of thing before. But regardless, work your pants off is a phrase I know.[/nq]
It's not one I've heard, but there's a lot

[nq:1]I guess you say "work your pants off" to imply that you are very busy, or you put great effort ... die but not sick" to imply that we are extremely busy, and no time is allowed for a sick leave.[/nq]
The normal BriE phrase that I know is "work your socks off".

Ray
UK

[nq:2]I guess you say "work your pants off" to imply ... busy, and no time is allowed for a sick leave.[/nq]
[nq:1]The normal BriE phrase that I know is "work your socks off".[/nq]
Or even "*****" or "bollocks"!

Ian

[nq:2]The normal BriE phrase that I know is "work your socks off".[/nq]
[nq:1]Or even "*****" or "bollocks"![/nq]
That said, "work your pants off" is unremarkable; I can't imagine anyone stopping in their tracks and having to figure out what it meant if they heard or read it.

Cheers, Harvey
CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed

[nq:1]On 07 Apr 2010, Ian Jackson wrote[/nq]
[nq:1]That said, "work your pants off" is unremarkable; I can't imagine anyone stopping in their tracks and having to figure out what it meant if they heard or read it.[/nq]
And then there's "working your fingers to the bone". It seems that almost anything which follows "work" indicates "working very hard indeed".

Ian

In Kevin (Email Removed) posted on Tue, 6 Apr
2010 21:02:39 -0700 (PDT) the following:
[nq:1]I guess you say "work your pants off" to imply that you are very busy, or you put great effort ... to imply that we are extremely busy, and no time is allowed for a sick leave. Kevin from Hong Kong[/nq]In America, from what we hear about China, being sick, but not being allowed sick leave is just t

[nq:2]I guess you say "work your pants off" to imply ... is allowed for a sick leave. Kevin from Hong Kong[/nq]
[nq:1]In America, from what we hear about China, being sick, but not being allowed sick leave is just the way ... have to just keep towing the line until they can arrange some other line of work in their off time.[/nq]
Your candor falls under the "too much information" rule. In a

[nq:2]On 07 Apr 2010, Ian Jackson wrote That said, "work ... out what it meant if they heard or read it.[/nq]
[nq:1]And then there's "working your fingers to the bone". It seems that almost anything which follows "work" indicates "working very hard indeed".[/nq]
"Work your fingers to the bone and whatta ya get? Bony fingers."

Bill in Kentucky