It took me a hot second but I finally thought of a great one; "They have a tough row to hoe." Disambiguation: Row; the noun, not the verb. Hoe; the mechanical one, not the flesh one. Usage: Usually referring to impoverished farm workers but commonly used to refer to anyone doing repetitious singular work in adverse conditions. Example: "Put that greenhorn out on the edge of the field with all the roots. Give him a tough row to hoe."