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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Recent Examples of pick-and-shovel
Constellation Energy has surged 94% as a pick-and-shovel beneficiary of the AI boom.
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Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2024
The biggest beneficiaries here aren’t only the flashy tech giants but also the pick-and-shovel players: processor makers, cooling system vendors, and the unsung heroes of database architecture etc.
—Kjartan Rist, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
So far with Big Tech spending at an all-time high—fueled by a fear of being left behind—the pick-and-shovel approach has been paying dividends.
—Peter Andersen, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
The core operation and a smattering of pick-and-shovel prospects mined the surface gold that was easily extracted by hand from exposed late Cretaceous-period rocks that shed bits of precious minerals in flakes, nuggets and dust.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2024
The biggest beneficiaries here aren’t only the flashy tech giants but also the pick-and-shovel players: processor makers, cooling system vendors, and the unsung heroes of database architecture etc.
—Kjartan Rist, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
So far with Big Tech spending at an all-time high—fueled by a fear of being left behind—the pick-and-shovel approach has been paying dividends.
—Peter Andersen, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
The core operation and a smattering of pick-and-shovel prospects mined the surface gold that was easily extracted by hand from exposed late Cretaceous-period rocks that shed bits of precious minerals in flakes, nuggets and dust.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pick-and-shovel
Adjective
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Farley said those earnings included the export of vehicles such as the Lincoln Nautilus, which is exclusively produced in China for other markets such as the U.S. China has been an increasingly challenging market for automakers, especially western legacy companies such as Ford and General Motors.Michael Wayland, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
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Today’s average difficulty is 5.2 guesses out of 6, or very challenging.New York Times Games, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Despite his success, Axiom’s presence in WWE is remarkable, as professional wrestling remains niche in Spain and has been difficult to find on TV.Jamie Lang, Variety, 6 Jan. 2025
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However, the complexity of the systems required to control so many qubits makes scalability difficult.Peter Cohan, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Households are currently seeing significant reductions in their monthly electricity usage, resulting in cost savings—a big relief, especially in tough economic times.Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
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The Bengals are going to have a tough time bringing the free agent back at just age 26 and after coming off his finest season yet.Brandon Funston, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Kings hadn’t played since their double-overtime win over the Miami Heat on Monday, leaving three days between games, which likely would have meant at least one rigorous practice with Brown at the helm.Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 11 Jan. 2025
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Truth, in this sense, is sought and rendered, something produced by rigorous inquiry and informed consideration rather than something discovered.Fergus McIntosh, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Two of the judges on the D.C. Circuit applied strict scrutiny, the highest and most demanding form of judicial review, and said the government satisfied that standard.Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2025
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Consumers are more demanding than ever, seeking true desirability, hyper-personalization, sustainability and seamless omnichannel experiences.Jill Standish, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Sandoval has received some pay bumps, including a temporary $10,000-a-year bonus for Hawaii special education teachers designed to alleviate shortages in that and other hard-to-staff areas.Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2023
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Whether those numbers are an overstatement, or possibly an understatement, is hard to say.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
Adjective
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Someone, anyone, needs to step up and take the reins here, as the Flyers have looked formidable otherwise.Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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So the panel is top tier and should be a formidable alternative to the QD-OLED display used in Samsung’s respective 2025 flagship, the S95F. OLED TVs just keep getting brighter, more vivid, and dazzling — and consumers really can’t go wrong with any of them.Chris Welch, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The film centers on Clémence, a quiet yet amusing Parisian, who had a complicated childhood.Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025
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Connections to Professional Networks The value of a standalone degree is only as good as the brand that issues it, but even a Harvard education doesn’t guarantee to provide knowledge on how to navigate the complicated recruiting process of a desirable employer brand.Sergei Revzin and Vadim Revzin, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near pick-and-shovel
Cite this Entry
“Pick-and-shovel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pick-and-shovel. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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