elbow
el|bow /'elboʊ/ (elbows elbowing elbowed)
1 [N-COUNT]
Your elbow is the part of your arm where the upper and lower halves of the arm are joined.
He slipped and fell, badly bruising an elbow.
2 [VERB] V n with aside, V n prep, V way prep/adv
If you elbow people aside or elbow your way somewhere, you push people with your elbows in order to move somewhere.
They also claim that the security team elbowed aside a steward...
Mr Smith elbowed me in the face...
Brand elbowed his way to the centre of the group of bystanders.
= jostle
3 [VERB] V n with aside/out, V way prep
If someone or something elbows their way somewhere, or elbows other people or things out of the way, they achieve success by being aggressive and determined.
Non-state firms gradually elbow aside the inefficient state-owned ones...
Environmental concerns will elbow their way right to the top of the agenda.
4
to rub elbows with: see rubel|bow grease
[N-UNCOUNT]
People use elbow grease to refer to the strength and energy that you use when doing physical work like rubbing or polishing. (INFORMAL)
It took a considerable amount of polish and elbow grease before the brass shone like new.el|bow room
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Elbow room is the freedom to do what you want to do or need to do in a particular situation. (INFORMAL)
His speech was designed to give himself more political elbow room.
= leeway
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
If there is enough elbow room in a place or vehicle, it is not too small or too crowded. (INFORMAL)
There was not much elbow room in the cockpit of a Snipe.
= space
1 [N-COUNT]
Your elbow is the part of your arm where the upper and lower halves of the arm are joined.
He slipped and fell, badly bruising an elbow.
2 [VERB] V n with aside, V n prep, V way prep/adv
If you elbow people aside or elbow your way somewhere, you push people with your elbows in order to move somewhere.
They also claim that the security team elbowed aside a steward...
Mr Smith elbowed me in the face...
Brand elbowed his way to the centre of the group of bystanders.
= jostle
3 [VERB] V n with aside/out, V way prep
If someone or something elbows their way somewhere, or elbows other people or things out of the way, they achieve success by being aggressive and determined.
Non-state firms gradually elbow aside the inefficient state-owned ones...
Environmental concerns will elbow their way right to the top of the agenda.
4
to rub elbows with: see rubel|bow grease
[N-UNCOUNT]
People use elbow grease to refer to the strength and energy that you use when doing physical work like rubbing or polishing. (INFORMAL)
It took a considerable amount of polish and elbow grease before the brass shone like new.el|bow room
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Elbow room is the freedom to do what you want to do or need to do in a particular situation. (INFORMAL)
His speech was designed to give himself more political elbow room.
= leeway
2 [N-UNCOUNT]
If there is enough elbow room in a place or vehicle, it is not too small or too crowded. (INFORMAL)
There was not much elbow room in the cockpit of a Snipe.
= space