Brian working at laptop (study for 'Workaholism')

Workaholism replaces Sloth: the European "busy bee" suits this subject. I keep my "nose to the grindstone", while my husband "burns the midnight oil" working at his computer, with a stack of exams waiting to be marked. Working "hammer and tongs" is indicated by the forger's tools. The pot is "kept boiling" on the potbelly stove, which contains "too many irons in the fire".