Phrase Origins: Keep Your Nose to the Grindstone

I've heard the phrase "keep your nose to the grindstone," and I know that it means to keep doing something. I know that it tends to refer to work or something unpleasant that has to be done. I can understand that putting one's nose against a grindstone would not be pleasant. However, I cannot think of why anybody would actually put his or her nose against a grindstone. There does not seem to be a purpose for that type of thing.

There are two theories to the origin of the phrase. One theory says that the phrase came from milling. The other theory says that the phrase came from knife sharpening.

Milling Theory

The theory that the phrase "keep your nose to the grindstone," comes from the fact that millers would sniff the stone to make sure that the flour wasn't burning as the stone would have a burnt scent.

Evidence Against the Milling Theory

However, it seems that the milling theory does not work. Millers did use stones, but they were not usually called grindstones. As early as 1400, the line, "Ther was gryndulstones in gravy, And mylstones in mawmany" was printed in Tournament Totenham . The Middle English is difficult to interpret, but it points to evidence that there was a difference between grindstones and millstones. The millstones were the ones used in milling.

Knife Sharpening Evidence

Knife sharpeners were known to have to stay at the work stations. The work stations were at grindstones for sharpening the knives. The phrase, "keep your nose to the grindstone," implies having to do work. Knife sharpeners were known to have to do hard labor and were sometimes punished.

While it is not certain that they literally had their noses put to the grindstone, the phrase may have originated from that type of punishment. In 1532, " This Text holdeth their noses so hard to the grindstone, that it clean disfigureth their faces" was written by John Frith in A mirrour or glasse to know thyselfe ."

Source:

Martin, G. (n.d.). Keep your nose to the grindstone. The meanings and origins of sayings and phrases . Retrieved September 12, 2011, from http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/217200.html