The meaning of the idiom open a can of worms, plus its origin. A hardtough nut to crack meaning in the cambridge english. See more ideas about idioms, english idioms and idioms and phrases. It looks like the origin of the phrase open a can of worms is. A similar term from a somewhat later era is tough customer, likewise meaning a person difficult to deal with. Idiom definition 1 a hard nut to crack a problem that is very difficult to solve idiom definition 2 someone who it is difficult to understand, get close to or form a close relationship with. A tough nut to crack definition of a tough nut to crack by. Define a tough nut to crack phrase and get synonyms.
A hard nut to crack financial definition of a hard nut to. Vox populi a slang term for 1 a crazy or eccentric person. The crazy sense probably has been influenced by metaphoric application of nut to head 1846, as in to be off ones nut be insane, 1860. It looks like the origin of the phrase open a can of worms is unknown, however, it likely has something to do with fishing and people who buy literal cans of worms to use as bait. Nuts as a special treat or favorite foodstuff led to other figurative phrases, now obsolete. The linguistic imagery, i would say, is that since testes are commonly referred to as nuts and since most seed nuts have a hard exterior, a cer. The idiom have a crack at from christine ammer, american heritage dictionary of idioms 1996. A hard nut to crack definition and meaning collins. Thus the peanut pod is actually a legume, the brazil nut is a seed enclosed with others in a capsule, and the almond is part of a drupe, a type of fruit that includes olives and peaches. A tough nut to crack phrase definition and synonyms.
A hard nut to crack idiom look at the picture and try to guess the meaning of the idiom a hard nut to crack. Definition of hard nut to crack in the idioms dictionary. Study hard, and the exams wont be a hard nut to crack. Getting out there is in many ways the hardest nut to crack. A hard nut to crack a tough nut to crack definition and meaning. The phrase originated as the caption to a cartoon produced by peter arno curtis arnoux peters, jr. The definition of tough nut to crack is someone who it is hard to get close to, hard to get to know or hard to understand. May 04, 2020 used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning.
Food idioms h list of food idioms and sayings that start with h. View american english definition of a tough nut to crack change your default dictionary to american english. The spelling of sledgehammer hasnt yet settled down and is still making the usual progression of hyphenated word pairs, that is, from sledge hammer to. See more ideas about idioms, english idioms and learn english. Hard nut to crack definition of hard nut to crack at. An idiom is a phrase whose meaning isnt obvious from looking at the individual words. It implies that you cannot understand the meaning of the whole phrase putting the meanings of each word together. The primary meaning is for a male to ejaculate, with an implied intense effort preceding the results. Sep 25, 2015 what does the idiom a hardtough nut to crack mean.
Open a can of worms meaning, origin, examples know. My brother is such a hard nut to crack, its almost impossible to understand and persuade him. Hard nut to crack definition, a dry fruit consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell. An indehiscent fruit having a single seed enclosed in a. A hardtough nut to crack definition is a person or thing that is difficult to deal with, understand, or influence.
Nice work if you can get it, but the luxury market is a hard nut to crack. The cartoon shows various military men and ground crew racing toward a crashed plane. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning. In this idiom, hard is often replaced by a synonym such as tough or difficult.
Definition and synonyms of a tough nut to crack from the online english dictionary from macmillan education this is the british english definition of a tough nut to crack. A toughhard nut meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Idiom is defined as an expression that does not mean what it literally says. A hardtough nut to crack definition of a hardtough. This early analogy, also put as a hard nut to crack, was first drawn in the early eighteenth century. Toughnuttocrack dictionary definition toughnuttocrack. Nut definition, a dry fruit consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell. Commonly the word nut is used for any seed or fruit having an edible kernel surrounded by a hard or brittle covering. For example, this assignment is a hard nut to crack, or it wont be easy getting her approval. A hard nut to crack definition and meaning collins english.
Definition of a hard nut to crack in the idioms dictionary. Idioms occur in all languages on every continent throughout. Hard nut to crack definition and meaning collins english. The explanation for takehave a crack at meaning attempt or try refers to the crack of a gun shooting, which could make it a variant of the popular take a shot at. Discover the definition of tough nut to crack in our extensive dictionary of english idioms and idiomatic.
Synonyms for hard nut to crack include can of worms, complexity, complex problem, complicated situation, complication, difficult situation, difficulty, dogs breakfast, entanglement and gordian knot. Oct 14, 2019 tough nut to crack plural tough nuts to crack a problem that is challenging to solve. The problem of how to motivate employees can be a tough nut to crack sometimes. The really tough nut to crack will be to persuade the older staff that change is necessary. In context 1 im not sure if chris well agree to this move, hes a hard nut to crack. Durango, however, may be a hard nut to crack, as it is strong strategically and is reported guarded by 4000 rebels. Docomo can be a hard nut to crack, but every once in a while, a foreign company comes along thats just too good to resist. Mountaineering mountaineering a variously shaped small metal block, usually a wedge or hexagonal prism originally an ordinary engineers nut with a wire or rope loop attached, for jamming into a crack to provide security.
Some nuts are hard to crack, while others are easy, but this can only be determined by context. A hard nut to crack financial definition of a hard nut to crack. Something or some situation very difficult to deal with satisfactorily. Click on the alphabet to view idioms starts with selected alphabet. The idiom a nut to crack has the basic meaning of a problem to solve. Now, try replacing a piece of cake with a hard nut to crack in the below sentences.
I tried to be friendly with her but i was told shes a hard nut to crack. A hard nut article about a hard nut by the free dictionary. You can complete the list of synonyms of hard nut to crack given by the english thesaurus dictionary with other english dictionaries. The mean for the word crack the nuts is when u stick ur ball sack into a gurls mouth and she swallows ur sack. Meaning a difficult problem to solve, a difficult person to persuade. A tough nut to crack idioms by the free dictionary. This metaphoric expression alludes to hardshelled nuts like walnuts. Information and translations of hard nut to crack in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. An idioms figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning.
Exclusion is a hard nut to crack and youve got to break in somewhere. My nap meets approvance on terms 7lb worse than weightforage and jimmy lenehans tough sixyearold will be a hard nut to crack. If you say that a problem is a tough nut to crack or a hard nut to crack, you mean that it is difficult to solve. May 01, 2019 clearing this interview is a tough nut to crack. The american market is a very hard nut to crack because it is so vast. An idiom is a phrase or an expression that has a figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning. What is the meaning of the idiom a hard nut to crack answers. Search hard nut to crack and thousands of other words in english definition and synonym dictionary from reverso. Being very flexible english language constantly enriches its vocabulary with the words invented by the. Learn idiom definition, idiom examples, history of idioms and why we use them in everyday conversations. What is the meaning of the idiom a hard nut to crack.
A hard nut definition of a hard nut by medical dictionary. An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements or from the. A hardtough nut to crack definition in the cambridge. A hardtough nut to crack definition of a hardtough nut. A tough nut to crack definition of a tough nut to crack. Open a can of worms meaning, origin, examples know your. A drawing board is, of course, an architects or draughtsmans table, used for the preparation of designs or blueprints. The crack of a bat hitting a baseball evokes the same sense of attempt, suggesting a possible variation of the popular take a swing at. Hence, its meaning is often quite different from the wordforword translation.
A language is a living substance, which evolves under the influence of different factors. Wikipedia, lexilogos, oxford, cambridge, chambers harrap, wordreference, collins lexibase dictionaries, merriam webster. A hard nut to crack definition of a hard nut to crack by. For example, let me have a crack at assembling it, or i had a shot at it but failed, or dad thinks he canlet him have a go at it, or dave had a whack at changing the. A sledgehammer to crack a nut is one of the many versions of the phrase, the others having faded into disuse.
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