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hardly
depression. 9 **take (it) hard** to suffer deeply: *Don't take it so hard: you'll feel better tomorrow.* | *She's taking her father's death very hard.* $\rightarrow$ see also HARD BY, HARD UP, HARD UPON, die hard (DIE$^1$), try (USAGE)
**hard-and-'fast** *adj* (of rules) fixed and unchangeable
**hard·back** /'hɑːdbæk || 'hɑːrd- / *n* a book with a strong stiff cover. Hardbacks are usually more expensive than paperbacks (=books with thin cardboard covers): *Is it available in hard-back?* $\rightarrow$ compare PAPERBACK
**hard·ball** /'hɑːdbɔːl || 'hɑːrd- / *n* [U] *AmE* **1** BASEBALL rather than SOFTBALL **2 play hardball** *infml* to use methods that are not gentle and may even be unfair: *He played political hardball to get a government job.*
**hard-'bitten** *adj* (appearing) firm and strong, especially when made like this by long and hard experience: *a hard-bitten old soldier*
**hard·board** /'hɑːdbɔːd || 'hɑːrd bɔːrd / *n* [U] strong material made out of fine pieces of wood pressed into sheets and used in making things instead of e.g. a light wood
**hard-'boiled** *adj* **1** (of an egg) boiled until the yellow part is hard $\rightarrow$ compare SOFT-BOILED **2** *infml* (of a person) not showing feelings or influenced by feelings, especially because of bitter experience
**hard-bound** /'hɑːdbaund || 'hɑːrd- / *adj* HARDCOVER
**hard 'by** *adv, prep especially lit* very near: *The house stood hard by (the river).*
**hard 'candy** *n* [C;U] *AmE* a BOILED SWEET or boiled sweets in general: *They sell hard candy.* | *a dish of hard candies*
**hard 'cash** *n* [U] money in coins and notes; CASH: *I offered to give him a cheque, but he demanded hard cash.*
**hard 'cider** *n* [C;U] *AmE* for alcoholic CIDER. Alcoholic cider cannot usually be bought in the US, but freshly pressed apple juice which has naturally turned alcoholic, accidentally or otherwise, is called hard cider.
**hard ,copy** *n* [U] *tech* readable information from a computer, especially when printed on paper $\rightarrow$ compare SOFT COPY
**hard 'core** *n* **1** [$S$+sing./pl. v] often *derog* the small central group that takes the most active part within a larger group or organization: *The hard core of party activists make/makes all the decisions.* **2** [U] (/* . ./ ) *BrE* the broken brick, stone etc used as a base when a road is built
**hard-core** *adj* [A] **1** often *derog* very strongly following a particular belief or activity, and unlikely to change: *hard-core opposition to the government* | *a hard-core criminal* **2** showing or describing sexual activity in a very open and detailed way: *hard-core pornography*
**hard·cov·er** /'hɑːd,kʌvə || 'hɑːrd- / also **hardbound** *adj* (of a book) having a firm stiff cover (BINDING); being a HARDBACK
**hard 'currency** *n* [C;U] money which is used in international trade, usually because the country has a favourable BALANCE OF PAYMENTS and a steady EXCHANGE RATE
**hard 'disk** *n* a piece of firm plastic with a coat of a MAGNETIC substance on which information for a computer can be stored. It can store much more information than a FLOPPY DISK. $\rightarrow$ compare FLOPPY DISK
**hard 'drink** also **hard liquor** *n* [U] strong drink which contains a lot of alcohol, such as WHISKY
**hard drive** *n* [C] the part of a computer where information and programs are stored, consisting of HARD DISKS and the electronic equipment that reads what is stored on them
**hard·en** /'hɑːdn || 'hɑːrd n / *v* [I;T] **1** to make or become firm or stiff: *The snow hardened until ice was formed.* | *He hardened his hold on the door.* (=held it more tightly) **2** to make or become severe, unkind, or lacking in human feelings: *I hardened my heart against him.* | *Police described the man as a hardened criminal.* **3** to make or become stronger and more able to deal with difficulty, pain etc: *Life in the mountains hardened me.* | *Opposition to the military government hardened after the massacre.*
[USAGE] **Harden** means 'to make or become hard', but should only be used when hard means 'firm and stiff' or 'unkind and severe': *Leave the wet cement to harden.* | *She hardened her heart.* In other cases use **get hard(er)**: *The exercises in this book gradually get harder* (=become more difficult). | *Life is getting hard for people on low incomes.*
**harden sbdy. to sthg. phrv** [T usually pass.] to make (someone) more used to and less sensitive to (something unpleasant): *Dennis is becoming hardened to failure/to failing.*
**'hard 'feelings** *n no hard feelings* (used to tell someone with whom you have quarrelled that you do not dislike them or feel anger towards them)
**'hard hat** *n* **1** a protective hat made of hard material, especially worn by workers who do building work $\rightarrow$ compare HELMET **2** *infml* a CONSTRUCTION WORKER
**hard-head·ed** / , hɑːd'hedɪd || , hɑːrd- / *adj* **1** practical, firm, and thorough, especially in business: *a hardheaded businesswoman/decision* **2** *especially AmE* stupid or difficult to persuade
**hard-'hearted** *adj* having no kind or sympathetic feelings; HARD $\rightarrow$ opposite SOFT-HEARTED $\rightarrow$ **-ly** *adv* $\rightarrow$ **-ness** *n* [U]
**hard-'hitting** *adj* forceful and effective: *The magazine published a hard-hitting exposé of organized crime.*
**har·di·ness** /'hɑːdinɪs || 'hɑːr- / *n* [U] the quality of being HARDY
**hard 'labour** *n* [U] (a punishment which consists of) hard physical work such as digging or building. Hard labour has not been used in Britain since 1948: *He was sentenced to three years' hard labour.*
**hard 'landing** *n* a sudden fall after a period of economic increase
**hard 'left** *n* **1** [the] *BrE* people, especially within a political party, whose views are considered to be very left-wing and who are seen as being very active and extreme in their ideas **2** [C] *especially AmE* a sharp left-hand turn when travelling by car: *Go down this road and take a hard left at the traffic light.*
**hard 'line** *n* [S(on)] a firm unchanging opinion or plan of action, especially one that is not influenced by points of view: *They're taking a hard line in the pay negotiation, and have refused to improve on their original offer.* $\rightarrow$ **hard-line** *adj* $\rightarrow$ **-hard-liner** *n*
**hard 'liquor** *n* [U] HARD DRINK
**hard 'luck** also **tough luck** also **hard 'lines** *BrE* — *interj, n* [U] *infml* (sorry about your) bad luck: *You failed your exam? Hard luck!*
**hard 'luck ,story** *n infml, usually derog* a story about one's misfortunes, typically told to a friend to get pity, help, or money: *Don't give me any of your hard luck stories.*
**hard·ly** /'hɑːdli || 'hɑːrdli / *adv* **1** almost not; only with difficulty (often with **can** or **could**): *I can hardly wait to hear the news.* | *I could hardly speak for tears.* **2** almost not: *I hardly ever go out these days.* (=almost never) | *You've hardly eaten anything.* | *You've eaten hardly anything.* (=almost nothing) | *Hardly anyone* (=almost no one) *likes him, because he's so bad-tempered.* $\rightarrow$ see NEVER (USAGE) **3** only just; not really: *I hardly know the people I work with.* | *We had hardly started/* *Hardly had we started (=we had only just started) when the car got a flat tyre.* $\rightarrow$ see USAGE 4 **not at all; not reasonably:** *This is hardly the time for buying new clothes - I've only got just enough money for food.* | *You can hardly blame me if you didn't like the place, as you were the one who begged me to take you there.*
[USAGE] Compare **hardly, scarcely, barely** and **no sooner.**
**1 Hardly, scarcely** and **barely** are followed by *when* but **no sooner** is followed by *than* in sentences like these: *The game had hardly/scarcely/barely begun when it started raining.* | *The game had no sooner begun than it started raining.* **2** When the sentence begins with any of these words the word order is changed like this: *Hardly/scarcely/barely had the game begun when it started raining.* | *No sooner had the game begun than it started raining.* **3 Hardly, scarcely** and (less commonly) **barely** can be followed by *any* and *ever* to mean 'almost no', and 'almost never': *We've hardly/scarcely/barely any money left.* | *He's hardly/scarcely/barely ever late for work.* Sentences with **hardly, scarcely** and **barely** can also contain *at all* to mean 'almost not': *We hardly/scarcely/barely got wet at all.*