grade-grubbing

grade-grubbing

1. noun Of a student, the act of working intently, and primarily, on getting good grades. I know some of the kids in my class are grade-grubbing and only want to get an A above all else.
2. noun The act of trying to persuade a teacher to change one's grade, as through flattery or questioning. All the grade-grubbing needs to stop—that question is not misleading, and I'm not changing any of your grades.
3. adjective Describing a student who is solely focused on getting good grades. You're bound to get a few grade-grubbing students who just want an A and don't really care about the material.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

grade-grubbing

1. n. working hard at one’s studies in hopes of a high grade. If all you’re here for is grade-grubbing, you’re going to miss a lot.
2. n. flattering a teacher in hopes of a higher grade. Some teachers don’t mind a lot of grade-grubbing.
3. mod. having to do with students who are only concerned with getting high grades. Two grade-grubbing seniors came in and begged me to change their grades.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • grub
  • grub around
  • grub around for (something)
  • swank
  • angle
  • angling
  • wear (one's) apron high
  • high
  • high, wide, and handsome
  • beater
References in periodicals archive
I taught at Ivy League schools and was profoundly unimpressed with the test-taking, grade-grubbing students I found there.
Hooray for the democrats and more accountability! NCLB is barely understood
To address that question of comparison and to counter those issues of perceived subjectivity and intense "grade-grubbing," I strive to be fair and consistent in my grading, not just in my honors courses but throughout all my teaching.
Evaluation vs. grading in honors composition or how I learned to stop worrying about grades and love teaching
Faculty may benefit if they are more forthcoming in their classes on the purposes of a college education as they perceive it and not play into the "grade-grubbing" emphasis that seems such a part of the academy.
Grade expectations: redux