tough nut
see hard nut to crack.
Words Nearby tough nut
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use tough nut in a sentence
Altogether, it is a very tough nut to crack, and the force at our disposal none too strong for the work that lies before it.
The Invasion | William Le QueuxDrank rum by the hogshead, pounded his wife till she left him, and was a tough nut gin'rally.
Cap'n Eri | Joseph Crosby Lincoln"H'm, and a pretty tough nut to crack," threw in Cleek with a little laugh.
The Riddle of the Purple Emperor | Mary E. Hanshew and Thomas W. HanshewPoint is that Houck, who always was a t-tough nut, has gone bad since the boys rode him on a rail.
The Fighting Edge | William MacLeod RaineThis particular member of the force was an unusually tough nut to crack.
Oh, You Tex! | William Macleod Raine
Browse