hard up

Idioms  

1. In need, poor, as in Unemployment is rising and many families are hard up, or With widespread emigration, Russia is finding itself hard up for scientists and other professional people. [Colloquial; early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Fernandes is given licence to contribute in attack but, like Casemiro, has the ability to run hard up and down the pitch, getting back to defend when needed.

From BBC

And although wages are up, any pollster will tell you swathes of voters feel hard up and hard done by.

From BBC

“That’s the reason we worked hard up to this point,’ he said.

From Los Angeles Times

And while we can't know for sure, it's likely that #2 Smith Court, hard up against the African Meeting House, was the final home Rebecca shared with Wyatt.

From Scientific American

By the way, not all the £110m will go to hard up motorists dumping their cars.

From BBC