hard edge adjective

(of a style of abstract painting) using bright areas of colour with sharply defined edges

hardˈface noun

A soullessly relentless person

hardˈ-faced adjective

1. Tough-looking
2. Uncompromising
3. Unsympathetic
4. Unsentimental

hard facts plural noun

Undeniable, stubborn facts

hard-favˈoured or hard-featˈured adjective

Having hard, coarse, or forbidding features

hardˈ-favˈouredness noun

hard-featˈuredness noun

hard feelings plural noun

Hostility, resentment

hardˈ-fern noun

The northern fern (Lomaria or Blechnum)

hard-fistˈed adjective

1. Having hard or strong fists or hands
2. Close-fisted
3. Niggardly

hardˈ-fought adjective

Determinedly contested

hardˈ-got or hardˈ-gotten adjective

Obtained with difficulty

hardˈ-grained adjective

1. Having a close firm grain
2. Forbidding

hardˈgrass noun

Cocksfoot or other coarse grass

hardˈhack noun

An American spiraea

hard-handˈed adjective

1. Having hard hands
2. Rough
3. Severe

hard hat noun

1. A bowler hat
2. A protective helmet worn by building workers, etc
3. A worker who typically wears one
4. An obstinately conservative person

hardˈhead noun

1. Knapweed
2. A fish of various kinds (eg gurnard, menhaden, father-lasher)

hard-headˈed adjective

1. Shrewd
2. Pitiless

hard-heartˈed adjective

1. Unfeeling
2. Cruel

hard-heartˈedly adverb

hard-heartˈedness noun

hard-hitˈ adjective

1. Seriously hurt, as by a loss of money, the death of a loved one, etc
2. Deeply smitten with love

hard-hittˈing adjective

1. Duly condemnatory
2. Frankly condemnatory, pulling no punches

hard house noun

A form of house music (qv) with a particularly strong beat

hard labour noun

Physical labour as an additional punishment to imprisonment, abolished in 1948

hard landing noun

One made by a spacecraft, etc in which the craft is destroyed on impact

hard launch noun (commerce)

The official introduction of a new product the general public

hard left or hard right noun

The extremes of political thought, allegiance, etc, favouring the left (socialist) or right (conservative) views

hard line noun

A hardline attitude or policy

hardˈline adjective

1. (of an attitude or policy) definite and unyielding
2. Having such an attitude or policy

hardlinˈer noun

hard lines plural noun

1. A hard lot
2. Bad luck (usu as interjection)

hard luck noun

Hard lines, bad luck

hard-luck story noun

A person's (esp false or exaggerated) account of his or her own bad luck and suffering, usu intended to gain sympathy

hard man noun (informal)

1. A criminal specializing in acts of violence
2. Generally, a tough man

hardˈ-metal noun

Sintered tungsten carbide, used for the tip of high-speed cutting tools

hardˈmouthed adjective

1. (of a horse) with a mouth insensible to the bit
2. Not easily managed

hardˈnosed adjective (informal)

Tough, unsentimental

hard on or hardˈ-on noun (vulgar slang)

An erection of the penis

hard pad noun

Once considered to be a neurotropic virus disease of dogs, now recognized as a symptom of distemper, causing hardness of the pads of the feet

hard palate noun

The bony front part of the palate

hardˈ-pan noun

1. A hard layer often underlying the superficial soil
2. The lowest level

hardˈparts plural noun

The skeletal material in an organism

hardˈ-paste adjective

(of porcelain) made of china clay and altered granite

hardˈ-pressed or hardˈ-pushed adjective

1. In difficulties
2. Under pressure
3. Closely pursued

hard radiation noun

The more penetrating types of X-rays, beta rays and gamma rays

hard-ridˈing adjective

Strenuously riding

hard right see hard left above.

hard rock noun

A style of rock music, usu structurally and rhythmically simple and highly amplified

hard-rock geology noun (informal)

The geology of igneous and metamorphic rocks

hard roe see roe¹

hard rubber noun

Ebonite

hardˈ-ruled adjective (Shakespeare)

Ruled with difficulty

hardˈ-run adjective

Greatly pressed

hard sauce noun

A sauce made with butter and sugar, and flavoured with rum or other liquor

hard science noun

Any of the physical or natural sciences

hard'scrabble adjective (chiefly US)

Esp of a place, barren and impoverished

hard-secˈtored adjective (computing; now obsolete)

Of a floppy disk, formatted by a set of holes punched near the hub of the disk, each hole marking the start of a sector

hard sell noun

An aggressive and insistent method of promoting, advertising or selling

hardˈ-set adjective

1. Beset by difficulty
2. Rigid
3. Obstinate

hardˈshell adjective

1. Having a hard shell
2. Rigidly orthodox
3. Uncompromising

hardshell clam noun

The quahog

hard shoulder noun

A surfaced strip forming the outer edge of a motorway, used when stopping in an emergency

hard-standˈing noun

A hard (concrete, etc) surface on which cars, aircraft, etc may be parked

hard stocks plural noun

Bricks that, though sound, are overburnt and of bad shape or colour

hard stuff noun (informal)

1. Strong alcohol, spirits
2. Important information

hard swearing noun

1. Persistent and reckless swearing (by a witness)
2. (often) perjury

hardˈtack noun

Ship biscuit, a hard biscuit formerly used as food on sailing ships

hardˈtail noun (informal)

A motorcycle or bicycle with no suspension at the rear

hard time noun

1. An unpleasant experience
2. A difficult task

hardˈtop noun

1. A rigid roof on a motor car
2. A motor car with such a roof

hard-upˈ adjective

Short of money, or of anything else (with for)

hard-visˈaged adjective

Of a hard, coarse or forbidding face

hardˈware noun

1. Domestic goods (esp tools, etc) made of the baser metals, such as iron or copper
2. Mechanical equipment including war equipment
3. Mechanical, electrical or electronic components of a computer (cf software)

hardˈwareman noun

hard-wearˈing adjective

Lasting well in use, durable

hard wheat noun

Wheat having a hard kernel with a high gluten content

hard'wire transitive verb (computing)

To incorporate (a feature) into a system in such a way that it cannot subsequently be modified

hardˈ-wired adjective

(of a computer function) depending on its circuitry, which cannot therefore be modified by software

hardˈ-won adjective

Won with toil and difficulty

hardˈwood noun

1. Timber of deciduous trees, whose comparatively slow growth produces compact hard wood
2. Such a tree

hard words plural noun

1. Words that give difficulty to a half-educated reader
2. Harsh words
3. Angry words

hardworkˈing adjective

Diligent, industrious

be hard going see under going¹

die hard see under die¹

go hard but

Be almost certain that

go hard with

Turn out badly for

hard as nails

1. Very hard
2. Callous
3. Very tough

hard at it

Working hard, very busy

hard done by

Badly treated

harden off

To accustom (a plant) to outdoor conditions by gradually increasing exposure to the weather

hard of hearing

Somewhat deaf

hard on the heels of

Following immediately after

hard put to it

In dire straits or difficulty

hold hard

To stop

no hard feelings

No offence taken, no animosity (as a result of a defeat, etc)

put the hard word on (Aust)

To ask, particularly for a loan or (esp sexual) favour

the hard way

Through personal endeavour or salutary experience