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Synonyms

no picnic

Idioms  

  1. Difficult, no fun, as in Recovering from abdominal surgery is no picnic. This expression, alluding to a picnic as a pleasant occasion, was first recorded in 1888.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Small-caps are no picnic either, with more than 40% of companies in the Russell 2000 being unprofitable, including lots of biotechs that require expertise to vet.

From The Wall Street Journal

The camping guidebook referred to Magpie Island as a “primitive facility” which meant the hiking trails and campsites were cleared, but there was no water available and no picnic tables or fireplaces.

From Literature

It was no picnic taking care ofPa and me.

From Literature

“No picnic basket, Lumawoo,” Cassiopeia finally said, before dissolving into giggles.

From Literature

The importance of maintaining a healthy scalp is not to be sneezed at, and lice are no picnic either.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.