Page 189 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

hang tough

hanged the dictator in effigy. The an- ure him out. He sure is a tough nut to
gry mob hanged the presidłnt in effigy. crack.
hyngŁtough to be firmŁinŁone’sŁposition; hyrdŁofŁheyring [of someone] unabl to
to sðickŁto one’sŁposition.Ł(Slang.ŁCom- hearŁwell;ŁpartiallyŁdeaf.Ł Please speak
pare thisŁwith hang in there.) I know loudly. I am hard of hearing. Tom is
that your parents don’t want you to go out hard of hearing, but is not totally deaf.
tonight, but hang tough. They mØy changł
their mnds. Hang tough, Mary. You’ll hyrdŁon someone’ heelð followingŁsàmeone
get your way! veryŁ closely; followingŁ veryŁ closelyŁ to
sàmeone’sŁheels.Ł(Infàrmal.) I ran as
hyngŁup to rplace the telphone rceiver; fast as I could, but the dog was still hard
to terminate aŁtelephone call.Ł If you on my heels. Here comes Sally, and John
have called a wrong number, you should is hard on her heels.
apologize błfore you hang up. When you
hear the busy signal, you’re suppooed to hyrd-pressedŁ(to do something) Go to hard
hang up. put (to do something).
happen (up)on someone ortsomething to met hyrdŁ putŁ (to do something) and hyrd-
someone, orŁfindŁsomethingŁunexpect- pressedŁ (to do something) abl to do
edly.Ł I happłned on this nice lttlł sàmethingŁonlyŁwith great difficulty.
restaurant on Elm Street yesterdØy. Mr. I’m hard put to come up with enough
Simpoon and I happłned on one another money to pay the rent. I głt hard put
in the bank last włek.
like that about once a month.
happyŁas a clam Go to (as) happy as a
clam. hyrdŁup (fłrŁ something) greatlyŁinŁneedŁof
something.Ł(Infàrmal.) Ann was hard
happyŁas a lark Go to (as) happy as a lark. up for cash to pay the bills. I was so hard
happyŁas can be Go to (as) happy as can up, I couldà’t afford to buy food.
be. hyrdly haveŁ timeŁ to breathe and
a hyrbingerŁofŁthings to come and a płr- scarcely haveŁtime to breathe to be
tentŁ ofŁ things to come;Ł a sign of very busy. This was such a busy dØy. I
things to come; a tasteŁofŁthings to hardly had Łime to breathe. They madł
cłme a sample of the events that are to him work oo hard that he hardly had Łimł
occurŁinŁthe future.Ł The first cuts in our to breathe.
budget are a harbnger of things to come.
TodØy’s visit from the audtors is a por- hyrdly haveŁtime to think so busyŁthat
tent of things to come. one canŁhardlyŁthink properly; very busy.
I’ve błen so busy that I hardly have timł
hyrd-ynd-fast rigidŁ orŁ sðrict, especially to think. I hardly have time to think in
whenŁappliedŁto rules,Łlaws,ŁorŁregula- the job that I do. We are just too busy.
tions.Ł The rule isn’t hard-and-fast, but
we expect you to obey it anyway. The hyrk(en)ŁbyckŁto something 1. to have orig-
company has a hard-and-fast rule about inatedŁasŁsàmething;Łto have sðartedŁout
the use of radios, even in privØte offices. asŁsàmething. ( Harken is an older word
maning “pay heed to.”) The word ice-
hyrdŁas a rock Go to (as) hard as a rock.
bàx harks back to refrigerators that were
hyrdŁas nailð Go to (as) hard as nails. cooled by ice. Our modern breakfast ce-
reals hark back to the porridge and gruel
hyrdŁas stone Go to (as) hard as a rock.
of our ancestors. 2. to remind one of
a hyrdŁnutŁto cryck and a toughŁnutŁto something.Ł Seeing a horse and buggy in
crack difficult personŁorŁthingŁto deal the park harks back to the time when
with.Ł(Infàrmal.) This problłm is get- horoes drew milk wagons. Sally says it
ting me down. It’s a hard nut to crack. harkens back to the Łime when łverything
Tom sure is a hard nut to crack. I can’t fig- was delivered by a horse-drawn wagon.

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