pick-and-shovel
adjective
pick-and-shov·el
ˈpik-ən(d)-ˈshə-vəl 
: done with or as if with a pick and shovel : laborious
Synonyms
Examples of pick-and-shovel in a Sentence
she loves coming up with the "big idea" but hates the actual pick-and-shovel work of starting a new business
Recent Examples on the Web
So far with Big Tech spending at an all-time high—fueled by a fear of being left behind—the pick-and-shovel approach has been paying dividends.
—
Peter Andersen, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
The core operation and a smattering of pick-and-shovel prospects mined the surface gold that was easily extracted by hand from exposed late Cretaceous-period rocks that shed bits of precious minerals in flakes, nuggets and dust.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024
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Peter Andersen, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
The core operation and a smattering of pick-and-shovel prospects mined the surface gold that was easily extracted by hand from exposed late Cretaceous-period rocks that shed bits of precious minerals in flakes, nuggets and dust.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near pick-and-shovel
Cite this Entry
“Pick-and-shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick-and-shovel. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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