lägga manken till

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Swedish

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Etymology

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From lägga (put) +‎ manken (the withers (back of a four-legged animal)) +‎ till (to), in reference to an ox beginning to push against a yoke with its withers.

Verb

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lägga manken till (present lägger manken till, preterite lade, la manken till, supine lagt manken till, imperative lägg manken till)

  1. (idiomatic, intransitive) to put a lot of effort into something (one previously did not put a lot of effort into), to put one's back into something, to put one's mind to something
    Han kan vara lite lat, men när han lägger manken till får han mycket gjort
    He can be a bit lazy, but when he puts his back into it, he gets a lot done

References

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