When he starts a job he goes at it hammer and tongs.
Origin
1700-10
Synonyms
hard, energetically, fiercely, wholeheartedly.
Examples from the web for hammer and tongs
The crazy fellow was much of an athlete and went at it hammer and tongs.
Slang definitions & phrases for hammer and tongs
hammer and tongs
adverb phrase
Very violently; with full force: We went at each other hammer and tongs
[1708+; reflecting use of both the blacksmith's main tools]
Idioms and Phrases with hammer and tongs
hammer and tongs
Forcefully, with great vigor. For example, She went at the weeds hammer and tongs, determined to clean out the long neglected flowerbed. Often put as go at it hammer and tongs, this phrase alludes to the blacksmith's tools. [ c. 1700 ]