hard case

¹ American  

noun

1. a rough, hard-bitten person.

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hard-case ² American  

[hahrd-keys] / ˈhɑrdˌkeɪs /

adjective

1. rough and hard-bitten.

   hard-case juvenile delinquents.

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Etymology

Origin of hard case¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Origin of hard-case²

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

This is usually gratifying work, but in “Vigil” she encounters a hard case: the oil baron K.J.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

The chief judge of the 5th Circuit, Priscilla Richman, wrote the majority opinion and basically just quoted big chunks of the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision to show that this is not a hard case.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2024

“There are so many possibilities that arise when you take machines and robots out of the hard case and engineer them out of materials that are soft and squishy.”

From Scientific American • Apr. 12, 2023

He’s now a tattooed, weathered hard case who somehow managed to maintain his Adonis-like body in lockup.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2022

After twenty minutes of demonstrations and discussion with the salesclerk, James chose a Corona 3 in a hard case.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu