| Clue | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Far from natural-sounding | Wall Street Journal | 26 Oct 2022 |
| Done with difficulty | Newsday | 10 Mar 2022 |
| Worked | LA Times Daily | 17 Dec 2021 |
| Toiled | Wall Street Journal | 28 Jul 2020 |
| Broke one's back | USA Today | 19 Jun 2019 |
| Slaved away | Premier Sunday | 12 May 2019 |
| Worked hard | New York Times | 01 Feb 2019 |
| Broke one's back | ||
| Worked hard | ||
| Hardly natural-sounding | Wall Street Journal | 02 Dec 2016 |
| Done with difficulty | Thomas Joseph | 23 Jun 2016 |
| Worked like a dog | Universal | 05 Dec 2015 |
| Toiled | LA Times Daily | 31 Jul 2015 |
| Worked like a dog | ||
| Toiled | ||
| Requiring effort | ||
| Worked hard | ||
| Did drudgery | ||
| Strained | ||
| Contrived | ||
| Worked hard | ||
| Worked like a dog | ||
| Worked like a dog | ||
| Worked like a dog | ||
| Worked with great effort | ||
| Difficult | ||
| Struggled | ||
| Unnatural; stiff | ||
| Expended effort | ||
| Lacking spontaneity | ||
| Difficult | ||
| Drudged | ||
| Worked. | ||
| Done with great effort. | ||
| Not easy. | ||
| Not natural. | ||
| Done with great exertion. | ||
| What Gilliatt did in "Toilers of the Sea." |