Question

Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel to make a great effort; to begin to work hard

Accepted Answer

Irving didn't give up when the work got hard. He put his shoulder to the wheel and finished. This idiom first appeared in the 1600s. The writer who thought it up imagined a wagon stuck in mud. As the horse pulled, the driver would have to put his shoulder to one of the back wheels and push to get the wagon rolling again. Starting in the 1700s, the saying included any kind of hard labor necessary to accomplish a task.

Idiom	Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel
Example	Irving didn't give up when the work got hard. He put his shoulder to the wheel and finished.
Meaning	to make a great effort; to begin to work hard
Origin	This idiom first appeared in the 1600s. The writer who thought it up imagined a wagon stuck in mud. As the horse pulled, the driver would have to put his shoulder to one of the back wheels and push to get the wagon rolling again. Starting in the 1700s, the saying included any kind of hard labor necessary to accomplish a task.

Put Shoulder Wheel Work Hard Wagon Irving Give