Plug away

    坚持不懈

    Plug away字面解释是“堵上”，这个短语是什么意思呢？请看对话：

    A: Have you heard? Will won the piano contest.

    B: Oh, really. He deserves it. He’s experienced plenty of hard times, but Will is still plugging away, playing several hours a day after work.

    A: Plug away?

    B: I mean, he has kept working in a determined way.

    A: Could you also explain the origin of this phrase?

    B: The verb form of “plug” means “to close tightly (a hole), to fill.” The phrase “plug away” derives from naval bombardmental warfare, precise time unknown. In action, all effort was directed at sinking opponents until victory was fairly certain. Only then, were hands released from soldiers’ aggressive responsibilities to begin damage control, like hauling the wounded below and “plugging away” any underwater shot holes.

    A: So when you “plug away,” you have lasted long enough to see victory.

    记住了吗？Plug away就是“坚持不懈”。