to break the back of
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To finish the hardest part of one's work.
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 “to break the back of” mean?
To finish the hardest part of one's work.
Is “to break the back of” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.