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> I recently had a German student explain to me that they understand hard (but dumb) work as what this phrase means.

Not quite.

It's a phrase derived from "Protestant Work Ethic":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic

Stripped of the religious connotations the phrase as commonly used (eg. "having a good work ethic") essentially means "feeling an obligation to consistently work hard for your employer".



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