Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[happy hunting ground]{n. phr.} 1. The place where, in American Indian belief, a person goes after death; heaven. •/The Indians believed that at death they went to the happy hunting ground./ 2. {informal} A place or area where you can find a rich variety of what you want, and plenty of it. •/The forest is a happy hunting ground for scouts who are interested in plants and flowers./ •/Shell collectors find the ocean beaches happy hunting grounds./
[hard] See: GIVE A HARD TIME, GO HARD WITH, SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS.
[hard-and-fast]{adj.} 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 as nails]{adj. phr.}, {informal} 1. Not flabby or soft; physically very fit; tough and strong. •/After a summer of work in the country, Jack was as hard as nails, without a pound of extra weight./ 2. Not gentle or mild; rough; stern. •/Johnny works for a boss who is as hard as nails and scolds Johnny roughly whenever he does something wrong./
[hard-boiled]{adj.} Unrefined; tough; merciless. •/"Because you were two minutes late," my hard-boiled boss cried, "I will deduct fifteen minutes worth from your salary!"/
[hard cash] See: COLD CASH.
[hard feeling]{n.} Angry or bitter feeling; enmity. — Usually used in the plural. •/Jim asked Andy to shake hands with him, just to show that there were no hard feelings./ •/Bob and George once quarreled over a girl, and there are still hard feelings between them./
[hard-fisted]{adj.} 1. Able to do hard physical labor; strong. •/Jack’s uncle was a hard-fisted truck driver with muscles of steel./ 2. Not gentle or easy-going; tough; stern. •/The new teacher was a hard-fisted woman who would allow no nonsense./ 3. Stingy or mean; not generous with money. •/The hard-fisted banker refused to lend Mr. Jones more money for his business./
[hard going]{adj. phr.} Fraught with difficulty. •/Dave finds his studies of math hard going./
[hardheaded]{adj.} Stubborn; shrewd; practical. •/Don is a hardheaded businessman who made lots of money, even during the recession./
[hardhearted]{adj.} Unsympathetic; merciless. •/Jack is so hardhearted that even his own children expect nothing from him./
[hard-hitting]{adj.} 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./
[hard line]{n. phr.} Tough political policy. •/Although modern economists were trying to persuade him to open up to the West, Castro has always taken the hard line approach./
[hard-liner]{n.} A politician who takes the hard line. See: HARD LINE.
[hard luck] See: TOUGH LUCK.
[hardly any] or [scarcely any] Almost no or almost none; very few. •/Hardly any of the students did well on the test, so the teacher explained the lesson again./ •/Charles and his friends each had three cookies, and when they went out, hardly any cookies were left./
[hardly ever] or [scarcely ever]{adv. phr.} Very rarely; almost never; seldom. •/It hardly ever snows in Florida./ •/Johnny hardly ever reads a book./
[hard-nosed]{adj.}, {slang} Tough or rugged; very strict; not weak or soft; stubborn, especially in a fight or contest. •/Joe’s father was a hard-nosed army officer who had seen service in two wars./ •/Pete is a good boy; he plays hard-nosed football./ Compare: HARD-BOILED.
[hard nut to crack] also [tough nut to crack]{n. phr.}, {informal} Something difficult to understand or to do. •/Tom’s algebra lesson was a hard nut to crack./ •/Mary found knitting a hard nut to crack./ Compare: HARD ROW TO HOE.
[hard of hearing]{adj.} Partially deaf. •/Some people who are hard of hearing wear hearing aids./
[hard-on]{n.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable}. An erection of the male sexual organ.
[hard put] or [hard put to it]{adj.} In a difficult position; faced with difficulty; barely able. •/John was hard put to find a good excuse for his lateness in coming to school./ •/The scouts found themselves hard put to it to find the way home./
[hard row to hoe] or [tough row to hoe]{n. phr.} 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./ Syn.: HARD SLEDDING. Compare: DOWN ON ONE’S LUCK, HARD NUT TO CRACK.
[hard sell]{n.}, {informal} 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?/