pick-and-shovel
adjective
pick-and-shov·el
ˈpik-ən(d)-ˈshə-vəl 
: done with or as if with a pick and shovel : laborious
Examples of pick-and-shovel in a Sentence
she loves coming up with the "big idea" but hates the actual pick-and-shovel work of starting a new business
Recent Examples on the Web
Since then, investors have treated the industrial stock as a pick-and-shovel AI play instead of a lagging conglomerate.
—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
Investors have an insatiable appetite to fund the pick-and-shovel businesses underpinning data-center buildouts and Ford’s version of an AI pivot shows that even staid companies like the 122-year-old giant aren’t above the fray.
—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
So far with Big Tech spending at an all-time high—fueled by a fear of being left behind—the pick-and-shovel approach has been paying dividends.
—
Peter Andersen,
Forbes,
2 Dec. 2024
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Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
Investors have an insatiable appetite to fund the pick-and-shovel businesses underpinning data-center buildouts and Ford’s version of an AI pivot shows that even staid companies like the 122-year-old giant aren’t above the fray.
—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
So far with Big Tech spending at an all-time high—fueled by a fear of being left behind—the pick-and-shovel approach has been paying dividends.
—
Peter Andersen,
Forbes,
2 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Pick-and-shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick-and-shovel. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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