Sweat blood
Meaning
To sweat blood means to work extremely hard and endure great difficulty and suffering to achieve something.
Origin
The phrase "sweat blood" plunges us directly into the heart of profound suffering, drawing its most vivid image from the New Testament. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus wrestled with his impending crucifixion, the Gospel of Luke describes his agony as so intense that "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." This powerful, almost literal description of extreme physical and emotional anguish etched the image of "sweating blood" into Western culture. It became the ultimate metaphor for exerting oneself to the absolute limit, enduring immense hardship, or facing an ordeal with such desperate effort that it feels like every fiber of one's being is being consumed.
Examples
- I had to sweat blood for months to finish that incredibly complex project on time.
- They are sweating blood to keep their small business afloat in the current challenging economy.