tough sledding

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Difficult work or progress, as in This bill faces tough sledding in the legislature. This idiom transfers the route on which a sled can travel to other kinds of progress toward a goal. It was first recorded as hard sledding in 1839. For the antonym, see easy sledding.

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Words nearby tough sledding

tough-minded, toughness, tough nut, tough pitch, tough row to hoe, tough sledding, toujours perdrix, Toul, Toulon, Toulouse, Toulouse-Lautrec

How to use tough sledding in a sentence

His flesh is sagging a bit, but he is still trim and looks lean, sinewy and tough.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“You ask me my motivation,” Marvin says, moving back into his tough guy persona again.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After a bunch of tough talk, this round of the hacker-on-hacker fight nevered materialized.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet|Marc Rogers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Although tough environmental controls were put in place in 2000, enforcement has been haphazard.
Goodbye, Bahamas. Hello, Havana!|Clive Irving|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was also an occasion for voluptuary displays of tough-mindedness.
The Media's Pro-Torture Cheerleaders|Jedediah Purdy|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But this paper was a very tough, fibrous substance, and would resist quite a heavy blow as well as keep out the cold.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
"Tough—but most of us have been there, one time or another," Goodell observed sympathetically; and with that the subject rested.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
You know that I come of tough fiber—of that old Creole race of Pontelliers that dry up and finally blow away.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Another tough-looking man ran out of the building and jumped into the red car.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
But it was tough on Clip to run into a relative and find him passing smoke-signals along for that prince of rascals, Dangerfield.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews