1888. J. McCarthy and Mrs. Campbell-Praed, Ladies’ Gallery, ch.
xxv. The wound was keen, I had been hit hard.
1891. M. E. Braddon, Gerard, p. 312. You’ve been hard hit.
Hard-lines, subs. (colloquial).—Hardship; difficulty; an unfortunate
result or occurrence. [Formerly line = lot: Cf., Bible and Prayer book
version of Psalm xvi., 5, 6.]
1855. Notes and Queries, 1 S. xii., p. 287. Hard Lines. Whence is
this expression, so common, particularly among seafaring men,
derived?
1881. W. Black, Beautiful Wretch, ch. xxiii. I think it’s deuced
hard lines to lock up a fellow for merely humbugging an old parson
up in Kentish Town.
1888. Sporting Life, 15 Dec. For the Kempton folks it was rather
hard lines.
1888. J. McCarthy and Mrs. Campbell-Praed, Ladies’ Gallery, ch.
xxvi. It’s awful hard lines, Lady Star Strange, that I am only
thought good enough for you Londoners in the dead season.
1892. Milliken, ’Arry Ballads, p. 3. I call it ’ard lines, dear old
man.
Hard-mouthed, adj. (colloquial).—Difficult to deal with; wilful;
obstinate. Also coarse in speech. [From the stable.]
1686. Durfey, Commonw. of Wordes, i., 1. [Speaking of a girl.] I
hate your young Wechees, Skitish Colts—they are so hard mouth’d,
there’s no dealing with em.
1704. Swift, Tale of a Tub, Sect. ix. I myself, the author of these
momentous truths, am a person, whose imaginations are hard-mouthed,
and exceedingly disposed to run away with his reason.
1704. Swift, Operation of the Spirit, Sect. ii., par. 9. The flesh
... when it comes to the turn of being bearer, is wonderfully
headstrong and hard-mouthed.
Hard-neck, subs. (tailors’).—Brazen impudence, monumental cheek (q.v.).
Hard-on, adj. phr. (venery).—Prick-proud. For synonyms, see Horn.
Hard-pan, subs. phr. (American).—The lowest point; bed-rock (q.v.).
1882. Besant, All Sorts and Conditions of Men, ch. xxi. And as for
business, it’s got down to the hard pan, and dollars are skurce.
1861. Holmes, Elsie Venner, ch. viii. Mr. Silas Peckham had gone a
little deeper than he meant, and came upon the hard pan, as the
well-diggers call it, of the Colonel’s character, before he thought
of it.
1888. Missouri Republican, 2 Mar. Prices were at hard pan.
To get down to hard-pan, verb. phr. (American).—To buckle to; to get to
business.
Hard-puncher, subs. (common).—The fur cap of the London rough; formerly
worn by men in training; a modification of the Scotch cap with a peak.
[From the nickname of a noted pugilist.]
Hard-pushed, adv. (colloquial).—In difficulties; hard-up (q.v.).
a. 1871. Perils of Pearl Street, p. 123. As I said, at the end of
six months we began to be hard-pushed. Our credit, however, was
still fair.
Hard Put To, adj. phr. (colloquial).—In a difficulty, monetary or
other; e.g., He’d be hard put to it to find a sovereign (or a word, or
an excuse) = It would take him all his time, etc.
Hard-row. See Row.