Usage of word "grind"

If someone said "So many hours spent on grind" to me, I'd wonder if they meant "So many hours spent on Grindr," which is (to my understanding) an LGBTQ dating app, which could seem like an odd thing to mention in the context you're using it. Would it be possible to say that? Sure, it's possible. Someone might even gather what you meant, but I wouldn't find it to be clear. If I wanted to say the same thing, I'd probably say "So many hours spent grinding" or "I spent so many hours grinding."

The expression I'm familiar with is "on the grind," which is a slang term for working diligently.

"So many hours on the grind" would probably work best here. But you could also say "So many hours spent grinding." The main distinction between those two is that the former is typically used to refer to real life, while the latter is usually referring to video games.

In that context, I'd actually use cramming. "I spent so many hours cramming (for the test this morning)". "On grind" isn't a phrase I'm familiar with, unless you're trying to use it like "the grind" as in "the grind never stops" referring to working continuously to achieve something in life.

It's possible to be on *the* grind: "I've been on *the* grind all day \[studying\]."

To me: "on the grind" = at work "on grinding" = playing a computer game and doing repetitive tasks for xp/other in-game rewards

I’m not an etymologist, but I’d imagine it comes from grindstone, which was a way to make flour centuries ago, then used to mean working hard, as in keep one’s nose to the grindstone, then shortened to grind to indicate working hard (negative) as in, man, life’s been a real grind lately, then reclaimed for the positive, as in, if you want to succeed, you gotta get out there and grind. In OP’s context, it’s just a different way to say one has been working hard, similar to left on read, put on mute, and so forth … to be on grind.

If you said it like that I'd assume you were from Yorkshire. We often drop the the. People think we would say t'grind but we often drop it altogether. But no it normally wouldn't work. Neither would grinding. "The grind" would be the most appropriate phrase to use, it's used to mean hard work. Even then it doesn't sound great.

This must be a British or Irish idiom, because as an American English speaker, none of those uses make much sense.

This must be a British or Irish idiom, because as an American English speaker, none of those uses make much sense.

In this case, it could make sense if you think of "grind" as "grind mode". I don't know if that's becoming a common way to use it, but "grinding" is definitely used as a word to describe working diligently, particularly at a tedious, repetitive task.

This is interesting as more traditional usage seems to be meeting up with modern gaming slang. “Grind for xp” is definitely modern gaming terminology, but the more traditional use of ‘grind’ is still completely applicable here as well I think. To my eyes the phrase would most make sense - using modern vernacular - as “so many hours grinding for this exam” or just “So many hours grinding for this” though ‘cramming’ would be more conventional.

I'd say, "So many hours spent on the grind." Or, "So many hours spent grinding."

I'd say, "So many hours spent on the grind." Or, "So many hours spent grinding."

I’m not an etymologist, but I’d imagine it comes from grindstone, which was a way to make flour centuries ago, then used to mean working hard, as in keep one’s nose to the grindstone, then shortened to grind to indicate working hard (negative) as in, man, life’s been a real grind lately, then reclaimed for the positive, as in, if you want to succeed, you gotta get out there and grind. In OP’s context, it’s just a different way to say one has been working hard, similar to left on read, put on mute, and so forth … to be on grind.

I’m not an etymologist, but I’d imagine it comes from grindstone, which was a way to make flour centuries ago, then used to mean working hard, as in keep one’s nose to the grindstone, then shortened to grind to indicate working hard (negative) as in, man, life’s been a real grind lately, then reclaimed for the positive, as in, if you want to succeed, you gotta get out there and grind. In OP’s context, it’s just a different way to say one has been working hard, similar to left on read, put on mute, and so forth … to be on grind.

I’m not an etymologist, but I’d imagine it comes from grindstone, which was a way to make flour centuries ago, then used to mean working hard, as in keep one’s nose to the grindstone, then shortened to grind to indicate working hard (negative) as in, man, life’s been a real grind lately, then reclaimed for the positive, as in, if you want to succeed, you gotta get out there and grind. In OP’s context, it’s just a different way to say one has been working hard, similar to left on read, put on mute, and so forth … to be on grind.

The full phrase is 'on the grind wheel/stone'. In old times you would need to grind wheat every day to make bread. Iit just came to mean any monotonous chore that needs to be done

You can say "I've been grinding away all week". "Grinding away" is fine to use. Just be careful and only use it to reference work and clearly not people. Because if you "grind on" someone, that's uh... adult action lol. Leave that for the bars and clubs lol

So many people saying "on grind".... An expression I've never heard before. I most commonly hear this used referring to work as "The Grind", as used in the expression at the end of a lunch break, "Well, back to the grind." I don't know what terrible work "the grind" originally referred to (my guess is welding), but now even the daintiest office work can be referred to as "the grind" if it's especially tedious, or perhaps sarcastically. And then there is "grinding" in video games as a lot of others have mentioned. Even still, I only hear this as "grinding away for days trying to level up", but that's not really my scene so I probably don't know.

You can use either: "I spent so many hours on the grind" or "I spent so many hours grinding" To me, the second one sounds better, but they're mostly interchangeable.

I have been working the grind. (I have been working my job).

Neither makes sense to me

Usually, yes. Do you have any context? Could it be Irish private "grind" schools? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grinds Or is it anything to do with computer games? Or fitness training?