hard time

American  

noun

1. a period of difficulties or hardship.

2. Slang. time actually served in a prison or other penal institution.

   He had merely been fined before, but now was sentenced to 90 days' hard time in the county jail.

3. Informal. give a hard time, to bother, annoy, or harass.

   He gave me a hard time about the money I owe him.

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hard time Idioms  

1. Also, hard times . A period of difficulty or hardship, especially financial hardship. For example, Since Mom died, Christmas has been a hard time for Dad , or It's been hard times for both of them since they split up . It is also put as have a hard time , as in I'm having a hard time finishing this book . Charles Dickens used Hard Times as the title of a novel about poverty (1854). A more recent version is have a time of it , which despite its ambiguity (not specifying either “good” or “bad”) nearly always means “experiencing difficulty”; for example, We had quite a time of it in that hurricane . [Late 1300s]

2. give someone a hard time . Annoy or harass someone. For example, Don't let him give you a hard time; he's often late himself . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of hard time

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Customers had a hard time getting to showrooms in January because of frozen conditions on the roads.

From MarketWatch

“It’s been a hard time, but she’s not going to stop, and that’s why our voices need to get louder.”

From Los Angeles Times

I’m having a hard time leaving my parents’ garage; there’s something comforting about this familiar blend of scents.

From Literature

“It’s been a hard time for me, and I was able to overcome it,” he said at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal

I know I had a hard time looking away from that Mets-Pirates game.

From Barron's

Related Words

• admonition
• censure
• condemnation
• disapproval
• punishment
• rebuff
• reproach
• snub