|
Reader question: Someone, talking about his job, said he’s “currently stuck doing grunt work”. What does it mean exactly? My comments: It means that this person complains a lot, that’s for sure – because he doesn’t like the job he is doing. It’s either too tiring or too boring, too repetitive or otherwise unpleasant. He doesn’t get any pleasure doing it. Grunt, you see, is the short, low sound we make from the throat, usually when we are doing heavy physical work or when we are unhappy. Therefore, you may take grunt work as work that literally makes you grunt, grunt a lot and grunt incessantly. In our example, the person needs a change of scene because right now (“currently”) he feels “stuck”, fixed in the same place doing a job that gives him little pleasure, just lots of whining. If his job involves a lot of physical labor, like the job of a brick layer, then he grunts because it’s too much hard work and too tedious, repetitive, not to mention that it lacks fun, glamour and prestige. If he works in an office, on the other hand, then his job may be equally dull, repetitive and uninspiring. The job of the old typist, for instance, can be considered boring for many because of its monotonous and unchanging nature. Anyways, the person in our example is probably looking for another job, a different one, one that, hopefully, brings a little joy and happiness to his daily life. | 
