The phrase “blood, sweat and tears” refers to hard work and effort in a project, often used metaphorically. It originated from a speech by Winston Churchill in 1940. “Sweat equity” refers to the value a person puts into something. In modern usage, it can refer to effort without material compensation, implying ingenuity and pride.
The English phrase “blood, sweat and tears” refers to the hard work or effort that goes into a project. This colorful idiom combines these various bodily fluids in a sometimes metaphorical way, where many successful projects don’t require the types of injuries associated with blood. Similarly, the use of “tears” or even “sweat” is often metaphorical. The use of this idiom in conversation illustrates an intense investment of effort and can also imply a deep personal attachment to the end product of the effort. The phrase is also the name of a now famous rock band from the 1980s.
According to most historians, the phrase “blood, sweat and tears” comes from a speech by British leader Winston Churchill in 1940, while that nation was engaged in the terrible battle for dominance during the World War II era. Churchill’s exact words according to the record were: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” where the words “tears” and “sweat” are reversed from now common usage and the word “toil” is added ”. It is likely that “fatigue” has not been included in common usage because it does not represent the same physical essence as the other three elements, and also makes it more cumbersome to say.
Those grappling with putting a lot of effort into a project might use a similar phrase to illustrate the hope that the effort comes with legitimate ownership. Here, one might say that if someone puts a lot of work into something, he or she has a certain “sweat equity.” The word equity refers to the value a person puts into something in order to recover value later.
With the kind of complicated modern financial arrangements going on in today’s financial world, the idea of sweat equity, or someone owning a project providing “blood, sweat and tears,” is often no longer practical. For example, many startups sign debt agreements with outside investors who give the budding business cash in exchange for future control through its stock. Here, sweat equity will not guarantee future scrutiny.
In modern usage, “blood, sweat, and tears” commonly refers to effort that may have been “invested” in vain or without material compensation. Some may talk about non-profit projects or intellectual projects that do not generate income as recipients of “blood, sweat and tears”. The phrase generally implies great ingenuity and pride on the part of the initiator of a project, as well as diligence and hard work.
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