tough /ˈtʌf/
(a.)堅硬的,咬不動的;棘手的,難辦的;強健的,吃苦耐勞的;粗暴的,凶惡的
Tough a. [Compar. Tougher superl. Toughest.]
1. Having the quality of flexibility without brittleness; yielding to force without breaking; capable of resisting great strain; as, the ligaments of animals are remarkably tough. “Tough roots and stubs. ”
2. Not easily broken; able to endure hardship; firm; strong; -- of objects and people; as, tough sinews.
A body made of brass, the crone demands, . . .
Tough to the last, and with no toil to tire. --Dryden.
The basis of his character was caution combined with tough tenacity of purpose. --J. A. Symonds.
3. Not easily separated; viscous; clammy; tenacious; as, tough phlegm.
4. Stiff; rigid; not flexible; stubborn; as, a tough bow.
So tough a frame she could not bend. --Dryden.
5. Severe; violent; as, a tough storm. [Colloq.] “ A tough debate. ”
To make it tough, to make it a matter of difficulty; to make it a hard matter. [Obs.]
◄ ►
tough
adj 1: not given to gentleness or sentimentality; "a tough
character" [ant: tender]
2: very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a
rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of
frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough
life"; "it was a tough job" [syn: rugged]
3: physically toughened; "the tough bottoms of his feet" [syn:
toughened] [ant: tender]
4: substantially made or constructed; "sturdy steel shelves";
"sturdy canvas"; "a tough all-weather fabric"; "some
plastics are as tough as metal" [syn: sturdy]
5: violent and lawless; "the more ruffianly element"; "tough
street gangs" [syn: ruffianly]
6: feeling physical discomfort or pain (`tough' is occasionally
used colloquially for `bad'); "my throat feels bad"; "she
felt bad all over"; "he was feeling tough after a restless
night" [syn: bad]
7: tough to cut or chew [ant: tender]
8: unfortunate or hard to bear; "had hard luck"; "a tough
break" [syn: hard]
n 1: someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than
being formally trained in the sport of boxing [syn: street
fighter]
2: an aggressive and violent young criminal [syn: hood, hoodlum,
goon, punk, thug, toughie, strong-armer]
3: a cruel and brutal fellow [syn: bully, hooligan, ruffian,
roughneck, rowdy, yob, yobo, yobbo]