carry the mail

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carry the mail (third-person singular simple present carries the mail, present participle carrying the mail, simple past and past participle carried the mail)

1. (chiefly US, idiomatic) To work diligently; to serve as the principal performer of a demanding task or set of tasks.
   • 1986 January 8, Keith Schneider, “Agriculture Chief to Quit: Reagan Hails Block Tenure”, in New York Times, retrieved 5 March 2014:

     "My objective was to carry the mail for the President, working with the Congress, forging that new bill."

   • 2011 April 12, Kent Wilson, “Sidney Crosby's historic season”, in ESPN.com, retrieved 5 March 2014:

     To say the Pittsburgh Penguins are a top-heavy club is an understatement. . . . The club is therefore completely reliant on Crosby and Co. to carry the mail up front.

   • 2012 June 28, “Dallas Cowboys”, in Sports Illustrated, retrieved 5 March 2014:

     The coaches will say, "We have two starters at running back," but the guy who'll carry the mail is DeMarco Murray.

• Usually used in sport contexts.

• carry the can