hard nut to crack
Noun
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003
Noun
hard nut to crack
- Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see hard, nut, crack
- (idiomatic) A problem that is challenging to solve.
- 1991 June 14, Leonard Silk, "Economic Scene; Predicting When Upturn Will Start ↗," New York Times (retrieved 22 Sep. 2011):
- Germany's inflation proves a hard nut to crack.
- 1991 June 14, Leonard Silk, "Economic Scene; Predicting When Upturn Will Start ↗," New York Times (retrieved 22 Sep. 2011):
- (idiomatic, by extension) A situation, person, group, etc. which is difficult to overcome or deal with.
- 1928 June 8, "[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=P6dQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wyEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6049,4365043&dq=hard-nut-to-crack&hl=en Mike McTigue Gives Emanuel a Real Fight]," Milwaukee Journal, p. 2 (retrieved 22 Sep. 2011):
- The coast lad found the veteran Mike McTigue a hard nut to crack and judging from the look on the Californian's face when the final bell sounded, he was mighty happy that the fight was over.
- 2011 Jan. 12, Simon Shuster, "[http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2042081,00.html Will the E.U. Let Belarus' Despot Off the Hook?]," Time:
- "But Belarus is a hard nut to crack, and it has used these methods to slip out of these East-West pincers before," says Alexander Klaskovsky.
- 1928 June 8, "[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=P6dQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wyEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6049,4365043&dq=hard-nut-to-crack&hl=en Mike McTigue Gives Emanuel a Real Fight]," Milwaukee Journal, p. 2 (retrieved 22 Sep. 2011):
- (idiomatic) A place, opportunity, etc. to which it is difficult to gain entry.
- "It would be a hard nut to crack, Sir Archie," his lieutenant said. "Unless by famine, the place could scarce be taken."
- 1929 March 15, "[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H8EhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A50FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2430,3042564&dq=hard-nut-to-crack&hl=en Five Mexican Armies March to Meet Rebels]," Reading Eagle (USA), p. 1 (retrieved 22 Sep. 2011):
- Durango, however, may be a hard nut to crack, as it is strong strategically and is reported guarded by 4000 rebels.
- 2008 Oct. 17, Barbara Wall, "Housing crisis? Not for the superrich ↗," New York Times (retrieved 22 Sep. 2011):
- Nice work if you can get it, but the luxury market is a hard nut to crack.
- (idiomatic) An amount that is difficult to finance.
- German: harte Nuss
- Russian: кре́пкий оре́шек
- Spanish: hueso duro de roer
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003