hard-ass

American  

[hahrd-as] / ˈhɑrdˌæs /

Or hardass

noun

Slang: Vulgar.

1. a person who follows rules and regulations meticulously and enforces them without exceptions.

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Example Sentences

“People with things to hide opened to him, unfailingly, until they detected a relentless hard-ass reporter at work.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2022

If Giuliani had been “the epitome of the hard-ass, it’s-all-about-me-call-the-press-’cause-I’m-gonna-slap-the-cuffs-on-a-Wall-Street-crook lawyer-cum-politician,” journalist Ross Johnson wrote, then Mayorkas was his antithesis — a 5-foot-7, smooth-voiced empath who emphasized prosecutorial restraint.

From Washington Post • Jan. 18, 2021

She told me later, “That’s when I realized you’re not a hard-ass — you’re an old softie.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2019

The admin was a complete hard-ass about dogs behaving, so if your dog made messes or was disruptive or bothered people or got bitey or was loud, you were told not to bring them back.

From Slate • Sep. 17, 2018

“Being a hard-ass just doesn’t go with the system here,” said Big D. “You’re not going to change everything.”

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover