stroke of work

plural strokes of work

1. countableidiomaticsingularsingular onlyuncountableA small amount of work.

   Each man does one to several licks or strokes of work and moves forward a specified distance.

   1956, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (contributor), Glossary of Terms Used in Forest Fire Control, page 19

   1 more example

   But who can doubt that the bricklayer and the glazier are happier than the "man of property" for whom they are doing those humble strokes of work?

   1860, George Smith, William Makepeace Thackeray (editors), “Work”, in The Cornhill Magazine, volume 2, page 603

   Synonyms: lick of work, tap of work, tap