elbow grease

the active use of energy in producing a result with a little polish and a lot of elbow grease, I was able to make the old silver teapot shine again Synonyms effort, exertion, expenditure, labor, pains, sweat, trouble, while, workRelated Words drudgery, grind, slog, strain, toil, travail; dint, energy; force, might, muscle, power, puissance; attempt, endeavor, essay, fling, go, pass, shot, stab, trial, try, whackNear Antonyms adroitness, ease, facility, fluency, smoothness; dormancy, idleness, inaction, inactivity, indolence, inertia, languor, laziness, quiescence