To attack or do something vigorously and persistently: I was whaling away at the cleaning job/ He's best when he's whaling away at the other candidates(1897+)
Idioms and Phrases with whale away
whale away
Attack physically or verbally, as in Our boys whaled away at the enemy, or The talk-show host whaled away at the hostile critics. The word whale here does not allude to the ocean mammal, but means “flog” or “thrash.” [ Mid-1800s ]