many hands make light work
Preserved but no longer current.
An old pro- verb (given in Ray's Collection, 1742) en- shrining the wisdom of a fair division of labour. The Romans had a similar saying, Multorum manibus magnum levatur onus, by the hands of many a great work is lightened.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “many hands make light work” mean?
An old pro- verb (given in Ray's Collection, 1742) en- shrining the wisdom of a fair division of labour. The Romans had a similar saying, Multorum manibus magnum levatur onus, by the hands of many a great work is lightened.
Is “many hands make light work” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.