hɑ:d adj., adv., & n. --adj. 1 (of a
substance,
material, etc.) firm
and solid;
unyielding to
pressure;
not easily cut. 2 a
difficult to
understand or
explain (a hard problem). b difficult to
accomplish (a hard decision). c (foll. by to + infin.) not
easy to (hard to
believe; hard to please). 3 difficult to bear; entailing suffering (a hard life). 4 (of a person)
unfeeling; severely
critical. 5 (of a
season or
the weather)
severe,
harsh (a hard
winter; a hard frost). 6 harsh or
unpleasant to the senses (a hard
voice; hard colours). 7 a
strenuous,
enthusiastic,
intense (a hard
worker; a hard fight). b severe,
uncompromising (a hard blow; a hard
bargain; hard words). c Polit.
extreme;
most radical (the hard right). 8 a (of liquor) strongly
alcoholic. b (of drugs) potent and
addictive. c (of radiation)
highly penetrating. d (of pornography) highly
suggestive and
explicit. 9 (of water) containing
mineral salts
that make lathering difficult. 10 established; not
disputable;
reliable (hard facts; hard data). 11
Stock Exch. (of
currency, prices, etc.)
high; not
likely to
fall in
value. 12 Phonet. (of a consonant)
guttural (as c in
cat, g in go). --adv. 1 strenuously, intensely, copiously;
with one's full
effort (try hard;
look hard
at; is raining hard; hard-working). 2 with
difficulty or effort (hard-earned). 3 so as to be hard or firm (hard-baked; the
jelly set hard). --n.
Brit. 1 a sloping
roadway across a
foreshore. 2 sl. = hard
labour (got
two years hard). øbe hard on 1 be difficult
for. 2 be severe in one's
treatment or
criticism of. 3 be unpleasant to (the senses). be hard put to it (usu. foll. by to + infin.)
find it difficult. go hard with
turn out to (a person's)
disadvantage. hard and fast (of a
rule or a
distinction made)
definite,
unalterable,
strict. hard at it colloq.
busily working or occupied. hard-boiled 1 (of an egg) boiled
until the
white and the yolk are solid. 2 (of a person)
tough,
shrewd. hard by
near; close
by. a hard case 1 colloq. a an
intractable person. b
Austral. & NZ an amusing or
eccentric person. 2 a case of
hardship. hard cash
negotiable coins and banknotes. hard
coal anthracite. hard
copy printed material produced by
computer, usu. on
paper,
suitable for
ordinary reading. hard
core 1 an
irreducible nucleus. 2 colloq. a the most
active or committed members of a
society etc. b a
conservative or
reactionary minority. 3 Brit. solid material,
esp.
rubble, forming the
foundation of a road etc. hard-core adj.
blatant, uncompromising, esp.: 1 (of pornography) explicit,
obscene. 2 (of
drug addiction) relating to 'hard' drugs, esp.
heroin. hard
disk Computing a large-capacity
rigid usu.
magnetic storage disk. hard-done-by harshly or unfairly treated. hard
error Computing a
permanent error. hard feelings feelings of
resentment. hard
hat colloq. 1
protective headgear worn on building-sites etc. 2 a reactionary person. hard
hit badly affected. hard-hitting aggressively critical. hard labour
heavy manual work as a
punishment, esp. in a
prison. hard
landing 1 a
clumsy or
rough landing of an
aircraft. 2 an
uncontrolled landing in
which a
spacecraft is destroyed. hard line unyielding adherence to a firm policy. hard-liner a person
who adheres rigidly to a policy. hard lines Brit. colloq. = hard
luck. hard luck
worse fortune than one deserves. hard-nosed colloq.
realistic, uncompromising. hard
nut sl. a tough,
aggressive person. a hard nut to
crack colloq. 1 a difficult
problem. 2 a person or
thing not easily
understood or influenced. hard of
hearing somewhat deaf. hard on (or upon) close to in
pursuit etc. hard-on n.
coarse sl. an
erection of the
penis. hard pad a
form of distemper in dogs etc. hard
palate the
front part of the palate. hard-paste denoting a
Chinese or 'true'
porcelain made of
fusible and
infusible materials (usu.
clay and stone) and fired at a high
temperature. hard-pressed 1 closely pursued. 2 burdened with
urgent business. hard rock colloq. rock
music with a heavy
beat. hard roe see
ROE(1). hard
sauce a sauce of
butter and
sugar,
often with
brandy etc. added. hard
sell aggressive
salesmanship or advertising. hard
shoulder Brit. a hardened strip
alongside a
motorway for
stopping on in an
emergency. hard
stuff sl.
strong alcoholic
drink, esp.
whisky. hard
tack a ship's
biscuit. hard up 1
short of
money. 2 (foll. by for) at a
loss for;
lacking. hard-wearing
able to
stand much wear. hard
wheat wheat with a hard
grain rich in
gluten. hard-wired involving or achieved by permanently
connected circuits designed to
perform a
specific function. hard-working
diligent. put the hard
word on Austral. & NZ sl.
ask a
favour (esp.
sexual or financial) of. øøhardish adj. hardness n. [OE hard, heard f. Gmc]