hard-nosed
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hard-'nosed adj infml extremely determined, firm, and practical in behaviour, especially in getting what one wants: a hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to business
hard 'nut n infml a difficult thing/person to deal with (especially in the phrase a hard nut to crack)
hard of 'hearing adj [F] euph unable to hear properly; (rather) DEAF: Could you speak up a bit, as my mother's rather hard of hearing?
'hard-on n taboo slang for ERECTION
,hard 'palate n the bony front part of the top of the mouth → compare SOFT PALATE
'hard porn n [U] infml books, films etc that are considered to be extremely PORNOGRAPHIC → compare SOFT PORN
,hard-'pressed adj [(for)] experiencing severe or continual difficulties: a hard-pressed housewife | hard-pressed for cash | [F+to-v] We'll be hard-pressed to finish on time. (=it will be difficult for us to do so)
,hard 'right n 1 [the] BrE people, especially within a political party, whose views are considered to be very right-wing and who are seen as being very active and extreme in their ideas 2 [C] especially AmE a sharp right-hand turn when travelling by car: Go down this road and take a hard right.
,hard 'rock n a type of ROCK music, which has a strong beat, and fast, loud ELECTRIC GUITAR playing
Hard Rock Cafe trademark a restaurant in many big cities that is popular especially with young people. It is known for selling typical US food and drinks, for playing ROCK MUSIC while customers eat, and for being decorated with clothes, GUITARS etc connected with well-known bands. It is also known for selling articles such as T-SHIRTS with 'Hard Rock Cafe' written on them.
,hard 'sauce /||. / n AmE a liquid mixture of butter and sugar, and sometimes cream and FLAVOURING, served on top of cakes etc
,hard 'sell n [(the) S] the method of trying to sell something by putting repeated forceful pressure on buyers: She gave me the hard sell and I ended up buying it. | hard-sell methods → opposite SOFT SELL
hard-ship /'hɑrdʃp||'hɑrd-/ n [C;U] (an example of) difficult conditions of life, such as lack of money, unemployment etc
🅗 ,hard 'shoulder || usually shoulder AmE — n especially BrE an area of ground beside a road, especially a MOTORWAY that has been given a hard surface where cars can stop if in difficulty, because stopping is not allowed on the road itself
'hard tack n [U] SHIP BISCUIT
Hard 'Times (1854) a book by Charles DICKENS about life in an imaginary industrial city in northern England. One of its main characters is the businessman Thomas GRADGRIND, who is only interested in facts and practical matters, and teaches his children that love and imagination have no use or value.
hard-top /'hɑrdtɑp||'hɑrdtɒp/ n a type of car with a metal roof which cannot be moved
,hard 'up adj [F(for)] infml in need (of); not having enough (especially money): We were very hard up when I lost my job. | We're a bit hard up for new ideas.
'hard up,on also 'hard on prep especially lit 1 soon after 2 close behind: He left, and I followed hard on his heels. (=close behind him)
hard-ware /'hɑrdwɛr||'hɑrd-/ n [U] 1 equipment and tools for the home and garden, such as pans, garden tools etc 2 tech the machinery which makes up a computer, as opposed to the systems that make it perform particular jobs → compare FIRMWARE, SOFTWARE 3 the physical equipment needed for the operation of any system: military hardware such as tanks | PCs and other educational hardware
'hardware ,store also ironmonger's BrE — a shop that sells hardware (1)
hard-wear-ing /,hɑrd'wɛərɪŋ || ,hɑrd-/ BrE || also long-wearing AmE— adj apprec something (especially material, clothes, shoes etc) that lasts for a long time, even when used a lot
,hard-'wired adj [(for)] (of computer operations) controlled by HARDWARE rather than SOFTWARE and thus not readily changed by the user: The printing out of crash dumps is hard-wired on this system. | [(a)] My boss is hard-wired to ignore any requests for time off.
hard-wood /'hɑrdwʊd||'hɑrd-/ n 1 [U] strong heavy wood from trees like the OAK used to make good furniture 2 [C] a tree that has wood of this type → compare SOFTWOOD
har-dy /'hɑrdi||'hɑrdi/ adj 1 (of people or animals) strong; able to bear cold, hard work etc; ROBUST → see also HARDI-NESS 2 tech (of plants) able to live through the winter above ground: This bush is a hardy perennial.
Hardy, Ol-i-ver /'ɒlɪvə || 'ɑl-/ → see LAUREL AND HARDY
Hardy, Thomas (1840–1928) a British writer and poet. Many of his novels are set in the countryside of Dorset in the southwest of England, and they often describe the unhappy side of life. His characters are often shown to be struggling against their own feelings and against FATE. His best known books include Far from the Madding Crowd, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. Many of his books have been made into films.
'Hardy Boys, the the main characters in a series of US books known as The Hardy Boys Mysteries, the first of which was written in 1927. The Hardy Boys are two brave young brothers called Frank and Joe Hardy who are always getting involved in exciting, dangerous adventures in which they help to solve crimes. The stories have also been made into films and television shows.
hardy-har-har /,hɑrdi hɑr 'hɑr || ,hɑrdi hɑr-/ interj AmE infml, humor (a phrase supposed to sound like a laugh, but usually used in a SARCASTIC way to mean that something is not very funny)
hare¹ /hɛər / n pl. hares or hare 1 an animal like a rabbit, but usually larger, with long ears, a short tail, and long back legs, which make it able to run fast → see also MARCH HARE; see picture at RABBIT 2 run with the hare and hunt with the hounds to try to support both sides in an argument or not disagree with either of two opposed groups
hare² v [+adv/prep] BrE infml to run very fast: He hared off down the road.
,Hare and the 'Tortoise, The another name for The TORTOISE AND THE HARE
hare-bell /'hɛəbɛl||'hɛər-/ n a wild plant with bell-shaped blue flowers on top of a thin stem
hare-brained /'hɛəbreɪnd||'hɛər-/ adj (of people or plans) very impractical and foolish: another one of his hare-brained schemes
'hare ,coursing n [U] the sport of coursing (COURSE)
Har-e Krish-na /,hɑrɪ 'krɪʃnə||,hɑr-/ n an international religious group that was started in the 1960s and is based on a great love for the Hindu god Krishna. Its members wear loose yellow-orange ROBES and the men cut off most of their hair, and they often go around city streets in groups singing the words 'Hare Krishna'.
hare-lip /,hɛə'lɪp||,hɛər-/ n [S] taboo old-fashioned (the condition of having) the top lip divided into two parts, because it did not develop properly before birth
har-em /'hɛərəm, hə'rim||'hærəm/ n 1 a separated place in a Muslim house where only women live 2 [+sing./pl. v] the women who live in a harem 3 [+sing./pl. v] a group of females living with, or under the protection of, one male
'harem ,trousers n [P] a type of women's trousers which have a great width of material gathered into folds at the waist
Har-greaves, James /'hɑ:gri:vz||'hɑr-/ (1720–78) a British inventor known for inventing machines such as the SPINNING JENNY, which was used for making cotton and wool into thread, and which he used in his factory in Nottingham → see also INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Hari, Mata → see MATA HARI
har-i-cot /'hɑrɪkəʊ/ also 'haricot ,bean n a small white bean
hark /hɑ:k||hɑrk/ v [I usually imperative] lit to listen; HEARKEN
hark at sbdy. phr v [T imperative] BrE infml to listen to (someone who is saying something very stupid, unreasonable etc): Hark at him criticizing us! I bet he couldn't do any better!
hark back phr v [I(to)] infml, sometimes derog to mention or return to events, subjects etc of an earlier time: You're