hard as nails Definition

hard
adj

1. Said of a substance: resistant to scratching or indentation; firm; solid.

Thesaurus: compact, solid, tough, impenetrable, rigid, unyielding, inflexible, dense; Antonym: soft, porous, flexible.
2. Toughened; not soft or smooth.

Example: hard skin
3. Difficult to do, understand, solve or explain.

Thesaurus: difficult, arduous, formidable, complex, intricate, laborious, rigorous, uphill.
4. Using, needing or done with a great deal of effort.
5. Demanding.

Example: a hard master
6. Harsh; cruel.

Thesaurus: severe, demanding, cruel, antagonistic, callous, implacable, harsh, pitiless, exacting, grim, unrelenting; Antonym: indulgent.
7. Tough or violent.

Example: a hard man
8. Said of weather: severe.
9. Forceful.

Example: a hard knock
10. Cool or uncompromising.

Example: The managers took a long hard look at sales figures
11. Causing hardship, pain or sorrow.

Example: hard times
12. Harsh and unpleasant to the senses.

Example: a hard light
13. Said of information, etc: proven and reliable.

Example: hard facts
14. Shrewd or calculating.

Example: a hard businesswoman
15. Said of water: containing calcium or magnesium salts, and tending to produce an insoluble scum instead of a lather with soap.
16. Said of a drug: highly addictive.
17. Said of an alcoholic drink: very strong, especially one which is a spirit rather than a beer or wine, etc.
18. Politically extreme.

Example: hard right
Example: hard left
19. phonetics., non-technical
Said of the sounds of certain consonants: produced as a stop rather than a fricative, as eg the c in cat and the g in got. Compare soft.
20. Said of currency: in strong demand due to having a stable value and exchange rate.
21. Said of credit: difficult to obtain.
22. Said of pornography: sexually explicit.
23. As a classification of pencil leads: indicating durable quality and faintness in use.
24. Said of photographic paper: giving a high degree of image contrast.
25. Said of radiation: having high energy and the ability to penetrate solids.
(chiefly US)
26. Said of goods: durable.
27. Said of nuclear missiles: located underground.

adverb

1. With great effort or energy.

Example: She works hard
2. Achieved in the specified way with difficulty or as a result of great effort.

Example: a hard-won victory
Example: hard-earned results
3. Earnestly or intently.

Example: He thought hard to find a solution
4. With great intensity.

Example: The news hit us hard

noun

1. A firm beach or foreshore.
2. colloq
Hard labour.

Derivative: hardness
noun

Idiom: be hard going

To be difficult to do.

Idiom: be hard put to do something

To have difficulty doing it.

Idiom: go hard with someone

To be unpleasant or difficult for them.
Thesaurus: hinder, plague, oppress, torment, burden.

Idiom: hard after someone or something (hard by someone or something, hard on someone or something, hard upon someone or something)

Close or near them or it.

Idiom: hard as nails

Said of a person: very hard; callous, very tough.

Idiom: hard at it

Working hard; very busy.

Idiom: hard by

Close by.

Idiom: hard done by

colloq
Unfairly treated.

Idiom: hard hit

Severely affected by a problem, trouble, etc or by love.

Idiom: hard of hearing

Partially deaf.

Idiom: hard on someone's heels

Following immediately after them.

Idiom: hard up

colloq
In need of money.
Thesaurus: broke, bankrupt, in the red, bust (slang), busted (slang), insolvent, impoverished, penniless, impecunious, penurious; Antonym: rich.

Idiom: hard up for something

colloq
In great need of it.
Example: hard up for new ideas

Idiom: no hard feelings

Said as a result of a defeat, etc: no offence taken, no animosity.

Idiom: the hard way

Through personal endeavours or difficulties.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon heard.

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nail
noun

1. The outer structure, composed of keratin, that grows from a tuck in the skin and protects part of the fleshy tip of a finger or toe.
2. A metal spike hammered into something, eg to join two objects together or to serve as a hook.

Thesaurus: peg, stud, pin, rivet, screw, spike, staple, tack.

verb nailed, nailing

1. To fasten something with, or as if with, a nail or nails.

Thesaurus: hammer, drive, spike, pound, beat, hit, hold, bind, clinch, fasten, fix, tack, pin, secure.
2. colloq
To catch, trap or corner someone.
Thesaurus: capture, detain, apprehend, catch, collar (slang).
3. To detect, identify or expose (a lie or deception, etc).

Derivative: nailer
noun

A maker of nails.

Derivative: nailery
noun

A place where nails are made.

Idiom: a nail in one's coffin (a nail in the coffin)

Any event or experience, etc that has the effect of shortening one's life.

A contributory factor in the downfall of anyone or anything.

Idiom: hard as nails

Callous; unsympathetic; unsentimental.
Thesaurus: steely, tough, hard-nosed (slang), callous, unfeeling, cruel, remorseless.

Idiom: hit the nail on the head

To pinpoint a problem or issue exactly.

To describe something in terms that sum it up precisely.

Idiom: nail one's colours to the mast

See under colours.

Idiom: on the nail

colloq
Immediately.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon nægl: from German Nagel.

Phrasal Verb: nail someone down

To extract a definite decision or promise from them.

Phrasal Verb: nail something down

To fix it down with nails.To define or identify it clearly.