hard lines

noun

, Chiefly British Slang.

1. bad luck; bad breaks (often used as an interjection).

hard lines

sentence substitute

1. informal.
   bad luck Alsohard cheese

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard lines¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

So before you go making real enemies, relax hard lines and perform a self exam for paranoia surrounding imagined ones.

From The Daily Beast

His hard lines and angles project the arrogance of a confidence man, or as Arlyn Imberman puts it, “a steamroller.”

From The Daily Beast

He had rather hard lines around his mouth, but softer ones around his eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

His drawn face had lost some of the hard lines and looked almost boyish and his eyes were feverishly alight.

From Project Gutenberg

"It will be 'hard lines' upon him if he does," observed Coleman.

From Project Gutenberg

She gave the effect of hard lines and angles, and hair and eyes and skin all cut from the same piece, a dingy dust color.

From Project Gutenberg

It is the cap that moulds the head, and all troopers have about them the imbecile stiffness of hard lines.

From Project Gutenberg