hard row to hoe
tough row to hoe
A hard life to live; a very hard job to do.
She has a hard row to hoe with six children and her husband dead.
Young people without enough education will have a tough row to hoe when they have to support themselves.
hard sell
A kind of salesmanship characterized by great vigor, aggressive persuasion, and great eagerness on the part of the person selling something; opposed to soft sell.
Your hard sell turns off a lot of people; try the soft sell for a change, won't you?
hard sledding
rough sledding
tough sledding
Difficulty in succeeding or making progress.
Jane had hard sledding in her math course because she was poorly prepared.
When Mr. Smith started his new business, he had tough sledding for a while but things got better.
hard up
Without enough money or some other needed thing.
Dick was hard up and asked Lou to lend him a dollar.
The campers were hard up for water because their well had run dry.
hard-and-fast
Not to be broken or changed; fixed; strict.
The teacher said that there was a hard-and-fast rule against smoking in the school.
hard-boiled
Unrefined; tough; merciless.
"Because you were two minutes late," my hard-boiled boss cried, "I will deduct fifteen minutes worth from your salary!"
hard-fisted
Able to do hard physical labor; strong.
Jack's uncle was a hard-fisted truck driver with muscles of steel.
Not gentle or easy-going; tough; stern.
The new teacher was a hard-fisted woman who would allow no nonsense.
Stingy or mean; not generous with money.
The hard-fisted banker refused to lend Mr. Jones more money for his business.
hard-hitting
Working hard to get things done; strong and active; stubbornly eager.
The boys put on a hard-hitting drive to raise money for uniforms for the football team.
He is a hard-hitting and successful football coach.