Can "steamroller" be used to describe a person like in the following sentence?
He is like a steamroller; nothing will stop him from getting work done.
Or are there any other meanings to the word I don't know of? (English is not my mother tongue.)
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"Like a steamroller" is acceptable usage for describing a person. Dictionary.com (Collins) cites one meaning of steamroller as "an overpowering force or a person with such force that overcomes all opposition." The New York Times has many examples where people are described as such. Here's one: "the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Worrell, who played like a steamroller last night." Another: "Oprah came on like a steamroller but he is not showing any attrition." Sylvia Plath wrote "I need a strong mate: I do not want to crush and subdue him like a steamroller."
Bill Lefurgy
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Probably not the best choice "steamroll" as a verb generally means to push through some process/solution crushing all opposition
"Prime Minister Harper intends to steamroller his elimination of...."
"Tories: we'll use ancient laws to steamroller through welfare cuts"
mgb
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can you suggest a better word? – cambraca May 22 '12 at 22:16
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3Unstoppable, tenacious – mgb May 22 '12 at 22:18
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1"He works like a Trojan," perhaps? – Andrew Leach May 22 '12 at 22:31
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2@AndrewLeach: I'd avoid that one in the U.S. Yes, it's a perfectly valid idiom, but not heard often here. Plus, Trojan is a leading brand of condoms here, and that's what a lot of people think of when they hear the word. – J.R. May 22 '12 at 22:43
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I would drop the -er in your examples. At least that's the way I usually hear it used. – Callithumpian May 23 '12 at 03:24
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Those are direct quotes from the newspapers – mgb May 23 '12 at 03:25
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"He's like a dog with a bone." – JAM May 23 '12 at 03:52
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@J.R. I suppose it depends what he is working at, really. It could prove an interesting idiom..... – Schroedingers Cat May 23 '12 at 12:25
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@AndrewLeach - I never really understood that. The Trojans were the ones being besieged. Other than a certain gullibility when it came to large animal sculpture - all they had to do was lay back and watch the Greeks throwing themselves against the walls? – mgb May 23 '12 at 15:57
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@AndrewLeach I agree with mgb, "working like a Trojan" could be taken as "works and works but at the end is defeated by a smarter oppponent" lol – cambraca May 23 '12 at 21:51