tough sledding

Idioms  

1. 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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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tough sledding

History suggests it will be tough sledding if tech keeps faltering.

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

After a promising start 20-18 start his first three years that included a pair of bowl appearances, it’s been tough sledding for Justin Wilcox who is 10-18 in the past three years.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 29, 2023

It made for tough sledding for Ms. Collins, who was like an athlete playing an away game on hostile turf: She had to battle the crowd and the candidate simultaneously.

From New York Times ● May 11, 2023

“From the second he started throwing,” Olson said, “you could tell that he had his good stuff. … When he has his ‘A’ stuff, it’s tough sledding for the other side.”

From Washington Times ● Apr. 1, 2023

There Hall had had some tough sledding, met some Spanish Republicans who knew him from Madrid, won the aid of a group of young Cuban officials and written two angry and documented magazine pieces.

From The Five Arrows by Chase, Allan