keep one's nose to the grindstone
have one's nose to the grindstone
hold one's nose to the grindstone
To work hard all the time; keep busy with boring or tiresome work.
Sarah keeps her nose to the grindstone and saves as much as possible to start her own business.
lay hold of
To take hold of; grasp; grab.
He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.
To get possession of.
He sold every washing machine he could lay hold of.
To understand.
Some ideas in this science book are hard to lay hold of.
leave holding the bag
leave holding the sack
To cause (someone) not to have something needed; leave without anything.
In the rush for seats, Joe was left holding the bag.
To force (someone) to take the whole responsibility or blame for something that others should share.
When the ball hit the glass, the team scattered and left George holding the bag.
After the party, the other girls on the clean-up committee went away with their dates, and left Mary holding the bag.
on hold
Left waiting while making a telephone call.
"Sorry sir," the secretary said, "I'll have to put you on hold for a minute."
Waiting; temporarily halted.
"Put your marriage plans on hold, son, and wait until after graduation," his father said seriously.
stand one's ground
hold one's ground
To stay and fight instead of running away.
The enemy attacked in great numbers but our men stood their ground.
To defend a belief or statement; refuse to weaken when opposed; insist you are right.
John's friends said he was mistaken but he stood his ground.
take hold of
To grasp; to grip with the hands.
The old man tried to keep himself from falling down the stairs, but there was no railing to take hold of.
You should take hold of the railing as you go down those steep stairs.
The blind man took hold of my arm as I led him across the street.