Trojan
Related to Trojan: Trojan War, Durex
Trojan horse
1. Something that initially seems innocuous but is ultimately bad or malicious. A reference to the myth in which Ancient Greek soldiers hid inside a giant wooden horse in order to gain access to the city of Troy. That personable new hire turned out to be a Trojan horse—she stole our intellectual property and sold it to the competitor!
2. A computer program that appears to be useful or harmless but secretly installs malicious code or software onto the infected computer. We have malware on our computer because that game you downloaded turned out to be a Trojan horse.
See also: horse, Trojan
work like a beaver
To work very intently, persistently, and assiduously. A reference to beavers' reputation of being extremely industrious. I worked like a beaver the entire summer after high school to earn enough cash to buy my first guitar. The kids are all working like beavers to get the pageant ready in time.
See also: beaver, like, work
work like a Trojan
To work very intensely for a long or continuous period of time, especially doing something thankless or menial. The boss had us working like Trojans to get the project ready on time. I worked like a Trojan the entire summer after high school to earn enough cash to buy my first guitar. I've been out here working like a Trojan while you sit inside sipping lemonade. Could you maybe lend me a hand?
See also: like, Trojan, work
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
work like a beaver
and work like a mule; work like a horse; work like a slaveFig. to work very hard. She has an important deadline coming up, so she's been working like a beaver. You need a vacation. You work like a slave in that kitchen. I'm too old to work like a horse. I'd prefer to relax more.
See also: beaver, like, work
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
Trojan
see under work like a beaver (trojan).
work like a beaver
Also, work like a dog or horse or Trojan . Work very energetically and hard, as in She worked like a beaver to clean out all the closets, or I've been working like a dog weeding the garden, or He's very strong and works like a horse. The first of these similes is the oldest, first recorded in 1741; the variants date from the second half of the 1800s. Also see work one's fingers to the bone.
See also: beaver, like, work
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
a Trojan horse
COMMON If you describe someone or something as a Trojan horse, you mean that they seem good or useful, but are really there to help something be harmed or destroyed in the future. Proposals for a golf course are now seen as a Trojan Horse for hotel and conference centres. This small reduction in the basic tax rate was merely a Trojan horse for the far more drastic cutting of the top rate from 70 to 28 per cent. Note: This refers to an ancient Greek story. The city of Troy was under siege from the Greeks. The Greeks built a large hollow wooden horse and left it secretly as a gift for the Trojans, who took it into the city. However, Greek soldiers were hiding inside the horse, and they were able to cause the destruction of the city.
See also: horse, Trojan
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
work like a beaver
work steadily and industriously. informalThe beaver is referred to here because of the industriousness with which it constructs the dams necessary for its aquatic dwellings. The image is similarly conjured up by the phrase beaver away meaning ‘work hard’.
See also: beaver, like, work
work like a Trojan
work extremely hard. 1974 Winifred Foley A Child in the Forest She put me to clean out all the fowls' cotes, and I worked at it like a Trojan.
See also: like, Trojan, work
a Trojan horse
1 a person or device intended to undermine an enemy or bring about their downfall. 2 a program designed to breach the security of a computer system, especially by ostensibly functioning as part of a legitimate program, in order to erase, corrupt, or remove data.In Greek mythology, the Trojan horse was a huge hollow wooden statue of a horse in which Greek soldiers concealed themselves in order secretly to enter and capture the city of Troy, an action which brought the ten-year siege of the city to an end.
See also: horse, Trojan
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
ˌwork like a ˈdog/ˈslave/ˈTrojan
(informal) work very hard: She worked like a slave to pass her exams. OPPOSITE: not do a stroke (of work)See also: dog, like, slave, Trojan, work
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
trojan horse
n. a kind of malicious software that arrives at a personal computer embedded in some other software and then introduces routines that can gather personal information or destroy the operationality of the computer. The consultant called the intruder a “trojan horse” and said I needed yet another program to get rid of it.
See also: horse, Trojan
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
Trojan, he is a/works like a/a regular
A determined, energetic individual; hardworking. The term comes from Homer’s description of the Trojans in the Iliad and Virgil’s description in the Aeneid. In both epics they are pictured as brave patriots who work hard for their country. This view was adopted by later writers, such as Samuel Butler, who wrote (Hudibras, 1663), “There they say right, and like true Trojans.”
See also: he, like, regular, work
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- a Trojan horse
- Trojan horse
- do (someone) a bad turn
- get wise to (someone or something)
- speak ill of
- speak ill of (someone or something)
- sup with the devil
- dine with the devil
- throw enough mud, and some will stick
- throw mud enough, and some will stick