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

Australian rugby league in the early 1990s was an unforgiving school of hard knocks, tough men and scant sympathy.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2023

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

While a camera crew from Ms. Handler’s show followed Charley taking orders and receiving an education in the school of hard knocks, the host herself was giving another kind of lesson.

From New York Times ● May 5, 2016

We went through the same school of hard knocks together—all of us.

From Anchorite by George Luther Schelling