long haul
noun-phrase

- a long distance

- a considerable period of time

- a prolonged and difficult effort or task

Merriam-Webster / Oxford Languages

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The word "haul" originated in the early 15th century from the Middle English word halen meaning "to pull, drag".

Over time, the specific meaning of "haul" emerged in English referring to transporting goods or loads from one place to another, often using wagons, ships, trains, etc.

The nautical usage of "haul" to mean pulling ropes or cables to control sails or rudders also comes from this etymological root of pulling, tugging, and hoisting. So in summary, "haul" has maintained its core original meaning of forcible dragging and carrying of heavy loads.

“Long haul”, originally in railroad use, is from 1873 in reference to the relative length of transportation, which determined the rate paid for it (long hauls = lower rate per mile).

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THE LONGEST LONG HAUL?

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton set out to achieve the first land crossing of Antarctica. Along with 27 men, he sailed to the frozen continent on the ship Endurance. But disaster struck quickly. Their ship became trapped in shifting pack ice before they could even reach land.

What followed was one of the greatest tales of human endurance. Shackleton and his crew remained stranded on the ice for months as Endurance was slowly crushed and sunk. They survived on the floating ice floes, camping in makeshift shelters and hunting seals. When the ice broke up, they took to lifeboats to reach Elephant Island.

From there, Shackleton and 5 others sailed an open lifeboat 800 miles across the treacherous Southern Ocean to South Georgia Island. They then made a harrowing land crossing over uncharted glaciers and mountains to reach a whaling station. Shackleton returned to rescued the rest of his crew still stuck off Elephant Island after being stranded for over a year.

Despite the extreme hardship and life-threatening challenges, not one life was lost. Shackleton's expedition showed that through adaptability, courage, and most of all camaraderie, humans can endure even the most severe circumstances. His was truly the epitome of perseverance through one of the longest long hauls.

An unputdownable account is “Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing - perhaps the most famous and popular telling of the expedition. Lansing's gripping book captures the drama and emotion of the crew's struggle for survival.

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SYNONYMS

arduous journey, big commitment, considerable distance, continuous slog, extended effort (journey, period), hard grind (journey, task), large undertaking, lasting endeavor (stretch), lengthy course (distance, duration, effort, journey, period, process, span, task, lengthy undertaking), long course (distance, duration, effort, endurance, journey, period, process, project, run, slog, stretch, term), LONG HAUL, long-lasting (-running), long-term commitment-(effort, journey), marathon (task), onerous drive, ongoing endeavour (effort, task), protracted effort (journey, processtask), prolonged expedition, slow grind, sustained effort (journey, process), time-consuming (process, task), tiresome journey (passage), tortuous drive (journey), toilsome task, tough grind, uphill battle, wearisome journey, year-long process

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THANKS to Christian for suggesting today’s OWAD.

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“In THE LONG HAUL, I find that dedication and persistence tend to pay off more than raw talent alone."

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