plough through
苦労して進む
解説 Definition
大量の仕事や資料などを苦労しながら最後までやり通すこと。困難を押して進む様子を表す。
To plough through something means to continue working through it with a lot of effort, especially when it is difficult, boring, or takes a long time. It is often used for books, reports, paperwork, or heavy tasks. The phrase emphasizes determination despite difficulty.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
through が入るので、まず「終わりまで通しで抜ける」感覚を軸にすると覚えやすいです。plough through は、書類・課題・長い報告書のような“量が多くて重いもの”を、楽ではないが最後まで処理する場面でよく使います。plough through paperwork / a long report の形で覚えると定着しやすいです。finish や get through よりも、面倒さ・骨の折れる感じが強いのがポイント。ざっと読む skim とは逆で、苦労しつつ前へ進む語です。米語では plow through と綴ることもあります。
The key is "through": it suggests pushing all the way to the end. "Plough through" is for heavy, tiring tasks such as paperwork, a textbook, or a long report. It feels harder and slower than just "finish" or "get through," and in American English it is often spelled "plow through."
例文
She ploughed through a stack of reports before the meeting.
彼女は会議の前に山積みの報告書を苦労して読み進めた。
He ploughed through the dense textbook over the weekend.
彼は週末に難解な教科書を苦労して読み通した。
The team ploughed through months of data to find the pattern.
チームはパターンを見つけるために何ヶ月分のデータを苦労して調べ上げた。
plough through の類義語・関連語
対義語
plough through の語源・成り立ち Etymology
plough は古英語 plōh「すき」、through は古英語 þurh「突き抜けて」から来た句動詞です。固い土をすきで切り開く絵から、「本や仕事を苦労して進める」と広がり、ploughman や thorough に同じ根が見えます。
`Plough` comes from Old English `ploh`, meaning a farming tool for cutting the soil, and `through` comes from Old English `thurh`, meaning "through" or "across." The phrase originally suggests forcing a plough through heavy ground. From that picture, it came to mean pushing through difficult reading, work, or other effort with determination.
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