workhorse

Etymology

work +‎ horse

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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Noun

workhorse (plural workhorses)

1. A horse used primarily for manual labor; a draft horse
2. (by extension) Anyone or anything that does a lot of work; something or someone who works consistently or regularly.

   Those old machines are not very glamorous, but even 20 years after their introduction, they are still the workhorses of the industry.