be completely used up. "her energy was on the verge of giving out" synonyms: run out, be used up, be consumed, be exhausted, be depleted; More stop functioning; break down. "he curses and swears till his voice gives out"
Elbow grease is an idiom for working hard at manual labour, as in "You need to use some elbow grease." Fig. hard scrubbing. Tom: What did you use to get your car so shiny? Mary: Just regular wax and some elbow grease. Joe put a lot of elbow grease into cleaning the kitchen.
1. Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means. 2. Acting with or marked by stealth. See Synonyms at secret . "he was watching her surreptitiously as she waited in the hotel lobby"
Preparing for tomorrow needs to take priority over unrealistic hopes, in the absence of fundamental change, of a return to the glory years. Means "...hope of a return to the glory years, in the absence of fundamental change."