school of hard knocks

American  

noun

1. the experience gained from living, especially from disappointment and hard work, regarded as a means of education.

   The only school he ever attended was the school of hard knocks.

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school of hard knocks Idioms  

1. The practical experience of life, including hardship and disappointments. For example, A self-made man, he never went to college but came up through the school of hard knocks. This idiom uses knock, “a blow,” as a metaphor for a setback. [Mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of school of hard knocks

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

school of hard knocks

Brown agreed, saying, “Through the school of hard knocks, we’re better at managing through it.”

From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2022

After all, the hotel job was a step up on what he’d done before, in a whole other school of hard knocks.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 25, 2019

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock found out what the school of hard knocks will be like under new head coach Vic Fangio.

From Reuters ● Jul. 19, 2019

Yet, being a McKinley graduate was like having a degree from the school of hard knocks.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 11, 2015

I went to the school of hard knocks, understand, and I got plenty of diplomas to prove it.

From The Common Man by Schelling, George Luther