Dictionary

do a lot of work en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

From do + a lot + of + work. Attested as early as 1986. https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2021-April/159701.html

Meanings

1. (literally) To perform a large amount of work.
2. (figuratively, of a word in a phrase) Carry a great deal of implicit meaning.
3. (figuratively, of a word in a phrase, sarcastic) To be an understatement.
   • I have written extensively about this elsewhere, but in this context it is noteworthy that yet again, conspiracy theories abound regarding the government hiding information about these videos, especially since they were filmed by the US military, who admitted they are “real.” That word is doing a lot of work here. When people hear “real,” their brains autocorrect to “aliens” or “Russian/Chinese assets” threatening our country, while the government simply meant that the videos themselves are genuine, not fakes or hoaxes. 2022 October 25, Michael Shermer, Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 225:

Forms

Relateds

pull one's weight