as in challenging
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
she loves coming up with the "big idea" but hates the actual pick-and-shovel work of starting a new business
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pick-and-shovel
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
The company's growth has been partially fueled by robust demand for its iPhones, which is especially likely to boost the group of pick-and-shovel plays, according to Stifel.
—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
The company's growth has been partially fueled by robust demand for its iPhones, which is especially likely to boost the group of pick-and-shovel plays, according to Stifel.
—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pick-and-shovel
Adjective
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This enduring legacy, underscores the lawyer's role as an officer of the court, preserving the rule of law even when challenging authority.
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Educate your family on our country’s history, both good and challenging.
Adjective
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Sarah Buck, Chicago Driving has become harder The rapid increase in bike lanes has made driving much more difficult and tedious, with numerous delays due to many streets being reduced to one lane in busy areas.
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Republican strategists have welcomed those nominations as an opening for attack in a difficult election year.
Adjective
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MacDonald agrees that some of Kiros' positions could put Democratic candidates in a tough spot.
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The 34 measures include cuts to income tax for low- and middle income families, an overhaul of the creaking pension system, tougher rules for employees' sick leave and a reduction of the country's stifling bureaucracy.
Adjective
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Every cybersecurity article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors.
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This improves both customer and agent experience, while still meeting rigorous business standards around accuracy, reliability, and risk management.
Adjective
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Building a paper airplane can be as demanding as building the airframe of a real aircraft.
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Once the evaluation process is complete, the company plans to scale production to thousands of units over the next three years, targeting manufacturers seeking to automate physically demanding and hazardous work.
Adjective
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Not long afterward, he was elected president on a platform deeply hostile to the West and its liberal ideology, and especially to the United States — threatening a hard fight in the event of war.
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That’s hard to imagine of a president who uses the office to promote and prosper from his own brand name.
Adjective
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England faces a formidable challenge against Mexico in the FIFA World Cup knockout round, playing at Estadio Azteca, 7,220 feet above sea level.
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However, there is arguably no matchup currently more daunting than a game against this formidable France side.
Adjective
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Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own.
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The study authors caution that the model should be applied carefully to more complicated perovskites in which structural changes and dielectric effects occur simultaneously.
Cite this Entry
“Pick-and-shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pick-and-shovel. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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