make short work of

verb

Roget 162: be destroyed &c.; perish; fall to the ground; tumble, topple; go to pieces, fall to pieces; break up; crumble to dust; go to the dogs, go to the wall, go to smash, go to shivers, go to wreck, go to pot, go to wrack and ruin; go by the board, go all to smash; be all over, be all up, be all with; totter to its fall.    destroy; do away with, make away with; nullify; annual etc. 756; sacrifice, demolish; tear up; overturn, overthrow, overwhelm; upset, subvert, put an end to; seal the doom of, do in, do for, dish [Slang], undo; break up, cut up; break down, cut down, pull down, mow down, blow down, beat down; suppress, quash, put down, do a job on; cut short, take off, blot out; dispel, dissipate, dissolve; consume.    smash, crash, quell, squash, squelch, crumple up, shatter, shiver; batter to pieces, tear to pieces, crush to pieces, cut to pieces, shake to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces; laniate^†; nip; tear to rags, tear to tatters; crush to atoms, knock to atoms; ruin; strike out; throw over, knock down over; fell, sink, swamp, scuttle, wreck, shipwreck, engulf, ingulf^†, submerge; lay in ashes, lay in ruins; sweep away, erase, wipe out, expunge, raze; level with the dust, level with the ground; waste; atomize, vaporize.    deal destruction, desolate, devastate, lay waste, ravage gut; disorganize; dismantle etc. (render useless) 645; devour, swallow up, sap, mine, blast, bomb, blow to smithereens, drop the big one, confound; exterminate, extinguish, quench, annihilate; snuff out, put out, stamp out, trample out; lay in the dust, trample in the dust; prostrate; tread under foot; crush under foot, trample under foot; lay the ax to the root of; make short work of, make clean sweep of, make mincemeat of; cut up root and branch, chop into pieces, cut into ribbons; fling to the winds, scatter to the winds; throw overboard; strike at the root of, sap the foundations of, spring a mine, blow up, ravage with fire and sword; cast to the dogs; eradicate etc. 301.    ... show more

Roget 972: punish; chastise, chasten; castigate, correct, inflict punishment, administer correction, deal retributive justice; cowhide, lambaste [Slang].    visit upon, pay; pay out, serve out; do for; make short work of, give a lesson to, serve one right, make an example of; have a rod in pickle for; give it one.    strike etc. 276; deal a blow to, administer the lash, smite; slap, slap the face; smack, cuff, box the ears, spank, thwack, thump, beat, lay on, swinge^†, buffet; thresh, thrash, pummel, drub, leather, trounce, sandbag, baste, belabor; lace, lace one's jacket; dress, dress down, give a dressing, trim, warm, wipe, tund^†, cob, bang, strap, comb, lash, lick, larrup, wallop, whop, flog, scourge, whip, birch, cane, give the stick, switch, flagellate, horsewhip, bastinado, towel, rub down with an oaken towel, rib roast, dust one's jacket, fustigate^†, pitch into, lay about one, beat black and blue; beat to a mummy, beat to a jelly; give a black eye.    tar and feather; pelt, stone, lapidate^†; masthead, keelhaul.    execute; bring to the block, bring to the gallows; behead, decapitate, guillotine; decollate; hang, turn off, gibbet, bowstring, hang draw and quarter; shoot; decimate; burn; break on the wheel, crucify; empale^†, impale; flay; lynch; electrocute; gas, send to the gas chamber.    torture; put on, put to the rack; picket.    banish, exile, transport, expel, ostracize; rusticate; drum out; dismiss, disbar, disbench^†; strike off the roll, unfrock; post.    suffer, suffer for, suffer punishment; be flogged.    be executed, suffer the ultimate penalty; be hanged &c.; come to the gallows, mount the gallows, swing [Coll.], twist in the wind, dance upon nothing, die in one's shoes; be rightly served; be electrocuted, fry [Coll.], ride the lightning [Coll.]; face the firing squad.    ... show more

Roget 731: succeed; be successful etc. adj.; gain one's end, gain one's ends; crown with success.    gain a point, attain a point, carry a point, secure a point, win a point, win an object; get there [U.S.]; manage to, contrive to; accomplish etc. (effect) (complete) 729; do wonders, work wonders; make a go of it.    come off well, come off successful, come off with flying colors; make short work of; take by storm, carry by storm; bear away the bell; win one's wings, win one's spurs, win the battle; win the day, carry the day, gain the day, gain the prize, gain the palm; have the best of it, have it all one's own way, have the game in one's owns hands, have the ball at one's feet, have one on the hop; walk over the course; carry all before one, remain in possession of the field; score a success.    speed; make progress etc. (advance) 282; win one's way, make one's way, work one's way, find one's way; strive to some purpose; prosper etc. 734; drive a roaring trade; make profit etc. (acquire) 775; reap the fruits, gather the fruits, reap the benefit of, reap the harvest; strike oil [U.S.], gain a windfall; make one's fortune, get in the harvest, turn to good account; turn to account etc. (use) 677.    triumph, be triumphant; gain a victory, obtain a victory, gain an advantage; chain victory to one's car; nail a coonskin to the wall.    surmount a difficulty, overcome a difficulty, get over a difficulty, get over an obstacle etc. 706; se tirer d'affaire [Fr.]; make head against; stem the torrent, stem the tide, stem the current; weather the storm, weather a point; turn a corner, keep one's head above water, tide over; master; get the better of, have the better of, gain the better of, gain the best of, gain the upper hand, gain the ascendancy, gain the whip hand, gain the start of; distance; surpass etc. (superiority) 33.    defeat, conquer, vanquish, discomfit; euchre; overcome, overthrow, overpower, overmaster, overmatch, overset^†, override, overreach; outwit, outdo, outflank, outmaneuver, outgeneral, outvote; take the wind out of one's adversary's sails; beat, beat hollow; rout, lick, drub, floor, worst; put down, put to flight, put to the rout, put hors de combat [Fr.], put out of court.    silence, quell, nonsuit^†, checkmate, upset, confound, nonplus, stalemate, trump; baffle etc. (hinder) 706; circumvent, elude; trip up, trip up the heels of; drive into a corner, drive to the wall; run hard, put one's nose out of joint.    settle, do for; break the neck of, break the back of; capsize, sink, shipwreck, drown, swamp; subdue; subjugate etc. (subject) 749; reduce; make the enemy bite the dust; victimize, roll in the dust, trample under foot, put an extinguisher upon.    answer, answer the purpose; avail, prevail, take effect, do, turn out well, work well, take, tell, bear fruit; hit it, hit the mark, hit the right nail on the head; nick it; turn up trumps, make a hit; find one's account in.    ... show more

Roget 729: effect, effectuate; accomplish, achieve, compass, consummate, hammer out; bring to maturity, bring to perfection; perfect, complete; elaborate.    do, execute, make; go through, get through; work out, enact; bring about, bring to bear, bring to pass, bring through, bring to a head.    despatch, dispatch; knock off, finish off, polish off; make short work of; dispose of, set at rest; perform, discharge, fulfill, realize; put in practice, put in force; carry out, carry into effect, carry into execution; make good; be as good as one's word.    do thoroughly, not do by halves, go the whole hog; drive home; be in at the death etc. (persevere) 604.1; carry through, play out, exhaust; fill the bill [U.S.].    finish, bring to a close etc. (end) 67; wind up, stamp, clinch, seal, set the seal on, put the seal; give the final touch etc. n.. to; put the last, put the finishing hand to, put the finishing touches on; crown, crown all; cap.    ripen, culminate; come to a head, come to a crisis; come to its end; die a natural death, die of old age; run its course, run one's race; touch the goal, reach the goal, attain the goal; reach etc. (arrive) 292; get in the harvest.    ... show more

Roget 684: haste, hasten; make haste, make a dash etc. n.; hurry on, dash on, whip on, push on, press on, press forward; hurry, skurry^†, scuttle along, barrel along, bundle on, dart to and fro, bustle, flutter, scramble; plunge, plunge headlong; dash off; rush etc. (violence) 173; express.    bestir oneself etc. (be active) 682; lose no time, lose not a moment, lose not an instant; make short work of; make the best of one's time, make the best of one's way.    be precipitate etc. adj.; jump at, be in haste, be in a hurry etc. n.; have no time, have not a moment to lose, have not a moment to spare; work against time.    quicken etc. 274; accelerate, expedite, put on, precipitate, urge, whip; railroad.    ... show more

Roget 682: be active etc. adj.; busy oneself in; stir, stir about, stir one's stumps; bestir oneself, rouse oneself; speed, hasten, peg away, lay about one, bustle, fuss; raise up, kick up a dust; push; make a push, make a fuss, make a stir; go ahead, push forward; fight one's way, elbow one's way; make progress etc. 282; toll etc. (labor) 686; plod, persist etc. (persevere) 604.1; keep up the ball, keep the pot boiling.    look sharp; have all one's eyes about one etc. (vigilance) 459; rise, arouse oneself, hustle, get up early, be about, keep moving, steal a march, kill two birds with one stone; seize the opportunity etc. 134, lose no time, not lose a moment, make the most of one's time, not suffer the grass to grow under one's feet, improve the shining hour, make short work of; dash off; make haste etc. 684; do one's best take pains etc. (exert oneself) 686; do wonders, work wonders.    have many irons in the fire, have one's hands full, have much on one's hands; have other things to do, have other fish to fry; be busy; not have a moment to spare, not have a moment that one can call one's own.    have one's fling, run the round of; go all lengths, stick at nothing, run riot.    outdo; overdo, overact, overlay, overshoot the mark; make a toil of a pleasure.    have a hand in etc. (act in) 680; take an active part, put in one's oar, have a finger in the pie, mix oneself up with, trouble, one's head about, intrigue; agitate.    tamper with, meddle, moil; intermeddle, interfere, interpose; obtrude; poke one's nose in, thrust one's nose in.    ... show more

Roget 604: have determination etc. n.; know one's own mind; be resolved etc. adj.; make up one's mind, will, resolve, determine; decide etc. (judgment) 480; form a determination, come to a determination, come to a resolution, come to a resolve; conclude, fix, seal, determine once for all, bring to a crisis, drive matters to an extremity; take a decisive step etc. (choice) 609; take upon oneself etc. (undertake) 676.    devote oneself to, give oneself up to; throw away the scabbard, kick down the ladder, nail one's colors to the mast, set one's back against the wall, set one's teeth, put one's foot down, take one's stand; stand firm etc. (stability) 150; steel oneself; stand no nonsense, not listen to the voice of the charmer.    buckle to; buckle oneself put one's shoulder to the buckle oneself put one's shoulder to the wheel, lay one's shoulder to the wheel, set one's shoulder to the wheel; put one's heart into; run the gauntlet, make a dash at, take the bull by the horns; rush in medias res, plunge in medias res; go in for; insist upon, make a point of; set one's heart upon, set one's mind upon.    stick at nothing, stop at nothing; make short work of etc. (activity) 682; not stick at trifles; go all lengths, go the limit [Slang], go the whole hog; persist etc. (persevere) 604.1; go through fire and water, ride the tiger, ride in the whirlwind and direct the storm.    ... show more

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